Turns out, when it comes to sugar and our health, how we consume it matters more than how much we consume overall. Two recent studies suggest that drinking sugar — like soda, energy drinks, and even fruit juice — may be far worse for our health than eating it in the form of treats, like baked goods or dairy products.
That eating too much sugar over time isn’t great for us is hardly breaking news. What surprised researchers, though, was just how different the health effects were depending on whether sugar came from a glass or a plate. And even more unexpected: cutting out sweet treats altogether may not be the healthiest move either.
Read more: 4 Science-Backed Diets to Improve Your Health
Sugary Drinks and Diabetes
One large study from Brigham Young University, published in Advances in Nutrition, analyzed data from over half a million people across multiple continents to see how different sugar sources affected the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Overall, when sugar was consumed through beverages such as soda and fruit juice, the risk of developing T2D was consistently higher than when it was consumed from other sources, according to a press statement.
They accounted for body mass index, calorie intake surpassing bodily needs, and other lifestyle factors, and found that each additional 12-ounce serving of sugar-sweetened beverages per day increased the risk of developing T2D by 25 percent. Interestingly, the average daily intakes of total sugar through diet showed the opposite, hinting at a surprising protective effect.
“This is the first study to draw clear dose-response relationships between different sugar sources and type 2 diabetes risk,” said study lead author Karen Della Corte, BYU nutritional science professor, in the statement. “It highlights why drinking your sugar — whether from soda or juice — is more problematic for health than eating it.”
Sugary Drinks and Heart Health
A second study, published in Frontiers in Public Health, found a similar pattern when it came to cardiovascular disease. Researchers from Lund University analyzed dietary data from nearly 70,000 participants who took part in two long-running Swedish cohort studies.
They narrowed it down to three types of sugar consumption: toppings like honey, pastry treats, and sweetened beverages. When tracking the risk of seven different cardiovascular diseases, once again, sugary drinks stood out.
Drinking sweetened beverages significantly raised the risk of common cardiovascular diseases, like ischemic stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and abdominal aortic aneurysm. Eating treats, on the other hand, was not linked to the same risks. In fact, people who enjoyed occasional sweet treats tended to have better outcomes than those who avoided sugar entirely.
“These findings suggest that extremely low sugar intake may not be necessary or beneficial for cardiovascular health,” suggested lead author Suzanne Janzi from the Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö in a press release.
Why Drinking Sugar Hits Harder
So why does sugar seem to do more damage when it’s consumed as a drink? Researchers think it comes down to how the body processes it. Sugary drinks and fruit juice deliver large amounts of isolated sugar all at once, causing sharp spikes in blood sugar that can overwhelm the liver, increase liver fat, and worsen insulin resistance.
Sugars eaten as part of whole foods, like fruit, dairy, or whole grains, are absorbed more slowly thanks to fiber, fats, and protein.
“Context also matters — treats are often enjoyed in social settings or special occasions, while sweetened beverages might be consumed more regularly,” said Janzi.
Surprisingly, despite its vitamin-rich fruit, juice still falls into the same category as sodas due to its concentrated sugar content, making it a poor alternative to whole fruit.
Both Della Corte and Janzi argue that current dietary advice may need an update.
“Rather than condemning all added sugars, future dietary guidelines might consider the differential effects of sugar based on its source and form.” Della Corte said.
Still, they emphasize that more research is needed to refine our understanding of why our bodies respond so differently to sugar in liquid versus solid form.
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
Read more: Sugary Drinks Disrupt Human Organs as They Pass Through the Body
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from a recent study published in Advances in Nutrition: Dietary Sugar Intake and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Risk: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies
- This article references information from a study published inFrontiers in Public Health: Added sugar intake and its associations with incidence of seven different cardiovascular diseases in 69,705 Swedish men and women
