Sugary Drinks and Diabetes

Skip the soda and fruit punch. Drinking one to two daily servings of sugary beverages can hike your risk of type 2 diabetes by 26%.

Sugary beverages like lemonade, soda and iced tea may seem like innocuous-enough treats. After all, a can of cola probably has fewer calories — and certainly less fat — than that brownie you were eyeing. But a large study from the Harvard School of Public Health shows that a daily soda habit is just as bad as junk food.

In a meta-analysis that reviewed 11 scientific studies on the link between sweetened beverages and diabetes, researchers found that indulging in just one to two sugary drinks a day could up your risk of diabetes by 26 percent and increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by 20 percent, compared with people who drank less than one a month. (Metabolic syndrome is a group of medical disorders, such as abdominal obesity, unhealthy cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and insulin resistance, that together increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.)

Making the switch to water can be difficult if you’re used to that syrupy flavor. But if you limit the amount of sugar in your diet, your taste buds will adjust.