The rising rate of obesity in Western countries is matched by an increasing incidence of diabetes. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that the incidence of diabetes among Americans could triple by 2050. This impending health care crisis is driven, in large part, by dietary patterns that not only heighten your chances of gaining weight, but that also contribute to the development of a condition called metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic Syndrome
In the 1980s, scientists described a constellation of physiologic traits that seemed to confer an increased risk for heart disease. These characteristics were collectively known as "syndrome X" or "prediabetes," phrases which were subsequently replaced with a more descriptive term, "metabolic syndrome." The traits that comprise metabolic syndrome are abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance, and lipid abnormalities, such as high triglycerides or low HDL cholesterol. According to the June, 2004, "American Family Physician," having metabolic syndrome not only increases your risk for heart disease, but it is a strong predictor of your risk for diabetes.
Diet Sodas and Metabolic Syndrome
The authors of a 2008 "Circulation" study were surprised when they discovered that the consumption of diet sodas increased a person's risk for metabolic syndrome. This was an incidental finding that emerged when they were evaluating relationships between metabolic syndrome and fried foods, sweetened beverages, processed meats, dairy products and other dietary items. Their surprise notwithstanding, this same association was demonstrated in 2007 by the Framingham Heart Study, which found that people who drank one or more diet sodas daily had a 56 percent higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome than people who drank none. In 2009, in a study in "Diabetes Care," diet soda drinkers had a 67 percent higher risk for diabetes.
Diet Sodas and Diabetes
It is not clear how many people with metabolic syndrome go on to develop diabetes. Therefore, establishing a connection between metabolic syndrome and diet soda consumption does not necessarily prove that diet sodas cause diabetes. In fact, the authors of studies showing a link between diet soda and metabolic syndrome concede that other lifestyle factors that are related to diet soda consumption, such as a higher level of "fast food" intake, could confound the studies' results. However, these scientists also argue that the statistical data tying diet soda consumption to metabolic syndrome is fairly strong and could possibly compensate for such confounding factors.
Considerations
If you are a diet soda drinker, who drinks at least one such beverage daily, you should examine other lifestyle factors that might contribute to your risk for metabolic syndrome and diabetes. The consumption of sugar, high carbohydrate foods high-fat foods, fried foods and processed meats has been linked to metabolic syndrome. Likewise, physical inactivity is a risk factor for both obesity and metabolic syndrome, both of which increase your chances for developing diabetes. If you are concerned about your risk of becoming diabetic, discuss your options with your doctor.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Number of Americans with Diabetes Projected to Double or Triple by 2050
- "American Family Physician"; Metabolic Syndrome: Time for Action; D. Deen; June 2004
- "Circulation"; Dietary Intake and the Development of the Metabolic Syndrome; P.L. Lutsey, et al.; January 2008
- "Circulation"; Soft Drink Consumption and Risk of Developing Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and the Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged Adults in the Community; R. Dhingra, et al.; July 2007
- "Diabetes Care"; Diet Soda Intake and Risk of Incident Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA); J.A. Nettleton, et al.; April 2009
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