The Study
Sugar-Sweetened Beverage but Not Diet Soda Consumption Is Positively Associated with Progression of Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes.
This study watched a group of people for many years and noticed that those who drank more sugary sodas tended to develop prediabetes more often. But it didn’t make anyone drink soda—it just watched what they already did. So we can’t say soda definitely causes the problem, just that it’s linked to it.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tracked what people drank for 14 years and saw that those who drank lots of sugary soda got more insulin resistance and prediabetes, but people who drank diet soda didn't.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 560 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even if you're not overweight, drinking sugary soda regularly raises your risk of developing prediabetes, a warning sign for type 2 diabetes.
- 2People who drank about 6 sugary sodas a week had a 46% higher chance of getting prediabetes and 8% higher insulin resistance than those who drank none.
- 3Diet soda drinkers had no increase in either.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The Journal of nutrition
Year
2016
Authors
Jiantao Ma, P. Jacques, J. Meigs, C. Fox, G. Rogers, Caren E. Smith, A. Hruby, E. Saltzman, N. McKeown
Related Content
Claims (6)
Over 14 years, drinking diet soda was not linked to higher insulin resistance or a greater chance of developing prediabetes in middle-aged adults, even when accounting for body weight and other lifestyle habits.
People who drink sugar-sweetened beverages have higher insulin resistance than those who do not, even when their body weight is the same.
People who drink six or more sugar-sweetened beverages per week have an 8% higher HOMA-IR value than those who do not consume them, even after accounting for their initial insulin resistance and body mass index.
Drinking diet sodas does not lead to metabolic problems in humans.
People who drink six sugar-sweetened beverages per week have a 46% higher chance of developing prediabetes over 14 years compared to those who drink less, even when accounting for their starting weight and other lifestyle habits.
Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to higher metabolic risk even when accounting for overall diet quality, including intake of coffee, whole grains, and red meat.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.