A new research found that sugar in sweetened drinks could be more harmful for health than sugar present naturally in foods like whole fruit, possibly impacting type 2 diabetes.
The research done by Canadian researchers, including a team at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, analyzed 155 studies with a total of 5,086 participants. It investigated the effect of various sources of fructose sugars on the blood glucose levels in participants who were/weren’t diabetic.
The findings, published in The BMJ, suggest that sweetened drinks and some other fructose-containing foods may have harmful effects on blood glucose levels, and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
But it was observed that fruit and other foods containing naturally-occurring fructose appeared to have no harmful effect on blood glucose levels.
In fact, researchers found fruit and fruit juice may have positive benefits on blood glucose and insulin control in diabetics. This may be because of the high fiber content of fruit helping slow down the release of sugars.
Dr John Sievenpiper the research lead author said, “These findings might help guide recommendations on important food sources of fructose in the prevention and management of diabetes,” he added, “But the level of evidence is low and more high quality studies are needed.”