The research team found those who drank the highest amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages — six 12-ounce servings a week, on average — had a 46 percent higher risk of prediabetes, if researchers didn’t weigh other factors.
The American Beverage Association counters that sugar in beverages isn’t the sole risk factor for prediabetes.
“Credible health organizations such as the Mayo Clinic note that the risk factors for prediabetes include factors such as weight, inactivity, race and family history,” the industry group said in a statement.
Authors of the new study noted that prediabetes risk did decline when they included factors such as other dietary sources of sugar and how much body fat a person had. But it didn’t fall much. The increased risk associated with sugary drinks still amounted to about 27 percent, McKeown said.
Because the study was observational, it does not establish a direct cause-and-effect link between sugary drinks and prediabetes, McKeown said.
But the association between the two makes sense, said Dr. Deena Adimoolam, an assistant professor of medicine, diabetes, endocrinology and bone disease with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
“A 20-ounce of bottle of regular soda may contain up to 18 teaspoons of sugar,” Adimoolam said. “Be aware of what you are drinking every day, and don’t forget that drinks have calories, too.”
Previous studies have linked even diet sodas to an added risk of type 2 diabetes, but McKeown said the new findings show that diet drinks could provide a bridge to healthier habits for people with prediabetes.
“Incorporating diet soda while they are weaning themselves off the habit wouldn’t have any long-term negative health effects,” she said. “But eventually the majority of a person’s fluids should come from water.”
The study was published Nov. 9 in the Journal of Nutrition.