Healthy Living: National News
Not So Sweet News About Diabetes
Story Updated: Mar 1, 2013
People with diabetes have been told to avoid sugar and high carbohydrate foods forever. But now, brand new research suggests sugar alone plays more of a direct role in diabetes than previously believed.
In a huge global study, researchers in California dissected data on sugar availability and diabetes rates from 175 countries over the past decade.
After factoring out obesity, physical activity and other calories... the team found that increased sugar in a population's food supply was directly linked to higher diabetes rates.
For every additional 150 calories of sugar available per person per day, the prevalence of diabetes in the population rose 1 percent.
Taking the analysis even further, the longer excess sugar was available, the higher the diabetes rate. And if sugar was slowly taken away, diabetes rates dropped as availability dropped.
The researchers say this study provides evidence that not all calories are created equal...but it doesn't go as far as to blame sugar as the only thing that causes diabetes.
I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV with the information you need to protect your health.