[url=http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2011/03/29/3176597.htm]Can eating lots of sugar give you diabetes?[/url]
A study of more than 90000 women tracked for eight years by researchers at Harvard University in the United States found those who had one or more servings a day of sugar-sweetened soft drink or fruit punch were twice as likely to have developed type 2 diabetes during the study compared with those who rarely had these drinks.
Caterson believes it’s the extra kilojoule intake from the soft drinks rather than just sugar in them that’s to blame.
“To gain 2 kg a year you only have to eat 100 calories [418 kJ] a day more than you need. That’s about five teaspoons of sugar. So it’s not much.”
To prevent type 2 diabetes it’s better to focus on avoiding weight gain by eating a healthy well-balanced diet than focusing specifically on avoiding sugar he says.
You should also not smoke and try to be active for 30 to 60 minutes a day — not just to help manage your weight but because exercise helps insulin work effectively.
Some more specific dietary measures that help prevent diabetes include:
* eating a bit less
* eating more fibre
* eating less salt
* eating less fat particularly saturated fat
There is also some evidence suggesting eating slowly-digested carbohydrate foods — that is foods with a low glycaemic index or ‘low GI’ — can reduce your risk. Low GI carbohydrates include wholegrain breads oats lentils and beans.