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Sugary drinks increase the risk of diabetes in women, even those of normal weight
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Women who drink two or more sugary drinks a day, even if they are of normal weight, are at higher risk of heart disease and diabetes, a new study suggests.
This applies to carbonated, sugar-sweetened, flavoured and syrup-containing drinks.
Previous studies have found links between drinking such drinks and obesity, high blood lipids, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Lead author Dr. Christina Shay, an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and colleagues compared middle-aged and older women who consumed two or more sugar-sweetened beverages with women who drank one drink a day or no sugary drinks at all.
The researchers found that women who drank two or more of these drinks a day were significantly more likely to have larger waists and higher fasting glucose levels. Their triglyceride levels, which are a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes, were nearly four times higher than normal.
Interestingly, scientists did not find such a connection in men.
Shai said in a press statement:
"Most people think that people who drink a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages have a higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke because of obesity. This is often true. However, this study shows that the risk of developing these diseases can increase even when women do not gain excess weight."
For the study, Shai and colleagues examined data from 4,166 adults, ages 45 to 84, who were African American, Caucasian, Chinese, and Hispanic.
Over a 5-year follow-up period, participants underwent three assessments that assessed changes in body weight, waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein (HDL "good" cholesterol), low-density lipoprotein (LDL "bad" cholesterol), triglycerides, fasting glucose, and the presence of type 2 diabetes.
The scientists noted that the metabolic impact of sweetened beverages is "complex and not uniform between men and women."
An interesting fact is that women need fewer calories than men, so when a large amount of calories come from sweetened drinks, they will experience a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
But how exactly such drinks cause heart disease, what biological mechanisms may be involved in this process, has not been precisely established and requires further research, scientists say.
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