Pop more likely to increase diabetes risk in boys than girls, claims US study

Fizzy drinks make boys more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than girls, US research shows.

A long-term study of women and their children by Harvard University found sugary drinks increased insulin resistance and blood glucose levels in boys, but not girls.

Although drinking fruit juice was found to raise blood glucose slightly in girls, it had more than three times the impact on boys.

The study also showed that eating fresh fruit during childhood and adolescence did not appear to have a positive or negative effect on the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes among either the boys or the girls in the study.

Experts said the differences in how boys and girls responded to sugary drinks was “striking”.

Lead investigator Dr Soren Harnois-Leblanc, of Harvard Medical School, said: “Although several aspects of biology and behaviours differ between boys and girls, I would have expected to also find an association between sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice intake and the increases in insulin resistance, and high blood sugar levels in late-adolescent girls.

“I was also surprised that eating whole fruits did not reduce the levels of these markers of Type 2 diabetes.

“Paediatricians and other health care professionals should caution young patients and their parents about sugary drinks and fruit juices when discussing healthy eating habits.”

NHS warns against fizzy drinks

The NHS currently recommends avoiding sugary drinks and warns that even unsweetened fruit juices and smoothies are sugary, so advises limiting the daily amount to no more than 150ml.

Added sugars also can cause weight gain, raise the risk of developing heart disease and high blood pressure, and increase the chance of tooth decay.

Prof Penny Kris-Etherton, an American Heart Association nutrition committee member, added: “This study has shown that greater sugar sweetened beverage intake, including fruit juice, throughout childhood and adolescents is associated with higher markers of diabetes risk in late adolescents in boys but not girls.

“It is striking that many measures of Type 2 diabetes risk were increased in boys at such an early age.

“These findings support the current dietary recommendations of the association, and many organisations, to limit or eliminate drinking sugar sweetened beverages and instead consume whole fruits, which are high in so many nutrients.”

5m in Britain live with diabetes

It is estimated that there are more than five million people in Britain living with diabetes, of which 850,000 are undiagnosed.

Although the condition is linked to obesity and usually seen in older adults, the number of children and young people treated for Type 2 diabetes has risen 50 per cent in five years.

In England alone, about 1,600 children have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

The research was presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Scientific Sessions 2024 in Chicago.