Myth: Sugar Causes Type 2 Diabetes
Truth: If you do not have diabetes, sugar intake alone will not cause you to develop the disease. Genetics and lifestyle factors, such as a diet high in calories (regardless of the source), being overweight or obese and being physically inactive, are major risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
However, if you have diabetes, you do need to manage how much sugar and carbohydrates you eat. A registered dietitian nutritionist can help you to manage your blood sugar level.
What Really Causes Type 2 Diabetes
So if sugar doesn’t directly cause diabetes, what does? The answer is not so black and white. Type 2 diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder. There are multiple factors that contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes and what may have contributed to one person getting diabetes may be completely different for someone else. You must look at the bigger picture rather than singling out one specific probable cause or risk factor.
Research has shown that drinking sugary beverages is linked to type 2 diabetes. This does not imply causation. Again, a high calorie diet (regardless of the source) is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends that people should avoid intake of sugar-sweetened beverages to help prevent type 2 diabetes.
Sugar-sweetened beverages include: regular soda, fruit punch, fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, sweet tea, flavored coffee beverages, and other sugary drinks. These raise blood glucose levels and can provide several hundred calories! For example, one 20-ounce bottle of regular soda has about 240 calories and 64 grams of carbohydrate (all from sugar).
This is the same amount of carbohydrate in 16 teaspoons of sugar! 8 ounces of fruit punch and other sugary fruit drinks have about 100 calories (or more) and 30 grams of carbohydrate, all while providing little or no nutritional value. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – drink water!
Additional risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include:
- Being overweight or obese
- Physical inactivity
- Family history of type 2 diabetes
- Pre-diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Abnormal cholesterol levels: high blood triglycerides and/or low HDL “good” cholesterol
- Gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- High alcohol intake
- Belonging to certain ethnic groups, including African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Japanese Americans.
- Age: The risk of developing type 2 diabetes begins to rise significantly around age 45, and even more so after age 65.
Nutrition Myths: Does Sugar Really Cause Type 2 Diabetes? Share on X
How Can I Prevent Getting Type 2 Diabetes?
In conclusion – the myth of sugar causes diabetes is not 100% accurate. If you eat sugar every once in a while, it’s probably not going to kill you or doom you for a life of diabetes and heart disease. It’s the consistent, daily intake of sugary foods and beverages that we need to avoid.
As you can see from the list above, there are multiple factors that come into play when talking about prediabetes and diabetes risk factors. Some are non-modifiable – meaning we can’t change them. For example, we can’t stop ourselves from aging and we can’t change our family history or ethnicity.
The good news is, there are plenty more things on the list we can do something about! We can change our diet to include more fruits and vegetables, we can decrease sugar-sweetened beverage intake, and we can be more physically active. Lifestyle changes are hard and won’t happen all at once. Start today by making one small change towards a healthier lifestyle.
To assess your risk for type 2 diabetes, check out the American Diabetes Association Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test.
Sources:
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/myths/
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/type1and2/
http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S2212-2672(15)00112-4/pdf
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