Replacing soft drinks with tea could cut diabetes risk
New research suggests that replacing one serving of sugary soft drinks with unsweetened tea could cut the risk of developing diabetes. The large-scale study, led by the University of Cambridge and published in the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, looked into daily food and drink consumption of more than 25,000 men and women aged 4079 years living in Norfolk, UK. Authors found that for every 5% of increase in total energy intake provided by sweet drinks, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increased by 18%. However, if these were replaced by an unsweetened beverage such as water or tea, the risk of developing diabetes dropped by between 14% and 25%. Consistent with these findings, previous research from 2013 linked regular sugar consumption with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.