Good news for people with a sweet tooth! You can eat your sweet treats.
It turns out that when it comes to sugar and our health, the way we consume it is more important than the amount we consume in total.
Two recent studies suggest that drinking sugar in the form of soda, energy drinks and even fruit juice may be much worse for our health than eating sugar in the form of treats such as baked goods or dairy products.
Researchers were surprised at how different the health effects were depending on whether sugar came from a glass or a plate. And even more unexpectedly, cutting out sweet treats altogether might not be the healthiest move either.
A major study from Brigham Young University, published in Advances in nutrition, analyzed data from more than half a million people on multiple continents to see how different sugar sources affected the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Overall, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was consistently higher when sugar was consumed through beverages such as soda and fruit juice than when consumed from other sources, according to a news release.
“This is the first study to demonstrate clear dose-response relationships between different sugar sources and the risk of type 2 diabetes,” lead author Karen Della Corte, professor of nutritional sciences at BYU, said in the statement. “It highlights why drinking sugar – whether it’s soda or juice – is more problematic for health than eating it.”
So why does sugar cause more harm when consumed as a drink? Researchers think it depends on how the body processes it. Sugary drinks and fruit juices deliver large amounts of isolated sugar all at once, causing sharp spikes in blood sugar levels that can overwhelm the liver, increase liver fat and worsen insulin resistance.
Sugars eaten as part of whole foods, such as fruit, dairy or whole grains, are absorbed more slowly thanks to fiber, fat and protein.
“The context also matters: treats are often consumed in social settings or on special occasions, while sweetened drinks are consumed more often,” said lead author Suzanne Janzi from the Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö in a press release.
Surprisingly, despite the vitamin-rich fruit, juice still falls into the same category as soda due to its concentrated sugar content, making it a poor substitute for whole fruit.
Both Della Corte and Janzi state that current nutritional advice may need an update.
“Rather than condemning all added sugars, future dietary guidelines could consider the different effects of sugar based on its source and form.” said Della Corte.
