Too much sugar leads to diabetes — makes sense, right?

This has long been confirmed. And sweetened soda is one of the worst culprits.

A typical 12-ounce can of soda contains around 39 grams of sugar, roughly the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar. Enough sugary sodas and blood sugar spikes eventually make cells less responsive to insulin, and before you know it, insulin resistance sets in, followed eventually by type 2 diabetes.

It turns out there’s much more to it than that…

For the first time, a study has “connected the dots,” showing how drinking soda causes your gut to produce chemicals that are directly connected to the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Drinking sugary drinks causes gut changes linked to diabetes

Scientists from nine different universities came together to examine data from more than 16,000 Hispanic/Latino individuals in the U.S. They chose to focus on this population because they have both high soda consumption and a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes.

They discovered that sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is linked to changes in nine species of gut bacteria and that these changes are linked to the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Four species of gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were reduced among those who drank sweetened drinks and soda.

SCFAs improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood glucose levels, so producing fewer SCFAs leaves a person more vulnerable to diabetes.

Other metabolic compounds affected by drinking sugary soda are glycerophospholipids, fats that build cell membranes and appear to be linked to diabetes, and branch-chained amino acids (BCAA), which are thought to play a role in insulin resistance.

“Our study suggests a potential mechanism to explain why sugar-sweetened beverages are bad for your metabolism,” according to senior author Qibin Qi, PhD, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY. “Although our findings are observational, they provide insights for potential diabetes prevention or management strategies using the gut microbiome.”

He added that the sugar in soda “might be more easily absorbed because they’re just sugar and water.”

How to support your gut microbiome

Now that you understand the profound connection between your gut microbiome and the risk of diabetes, it’s empowering to know that you can take steps to enhance your gut health and reduce this risk.

First of all, give up the sweetened beverages. A large study you can read about here determined the 2 worst ultraprocessed foods for our health. And you’ve probably guessed that sweetened beverages were one of them.

Next, try these steps:

• Increase your intake of inulin fiber, which boosts short-chain fatty acids in your gut. You can find inulin in garlic, leeks, asparagus, beans, legumes, bananas, apricots, carrots, oranges and chicory root. These are considered prebiotic foods.
• Eat fermented foods: Fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut and kefir all contain healthy bacteria that reduce inflammation and support healthy bacteria.
• Avoid or limit your intake of artificial sweeteners: Some evidence has shown that artificial sweeteners like aspartame increase blood sugar by stimulating the growth of unhealthy bacteria like Enterobacteriaceae in the gut microbiome.
• Eat whole grains: Whole grains contain beneficial carbs like beta-glucan, which are digested by gut bacteria, and help prevent diabetes.
• Eat fruits rich in polyphenols: Polyphenols are plant compounds that shield us from insulin resistance and diabetes. Think stone fruits and berries.
• Take antibiotics only when necessary: Antibiotics disrupt the gut microbiome, possibly contributing to weight gain and antibiotic resistance. Thus, only take antibiotics when medically necessary.

Sources:

How might soft drinks lead to type 2 diabetes — Medical News Today

Sugar sweetened beverage intake, gut microbiota, circulating metabolites, and diabetes risk in Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos — Cell Metabolism

Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and fruit juice and incidence of type 2 diabetes: systematic review, meta-analysis, and estimation of population attributable fraction — The BMJ

The implication of short-chain fatty acids in obesity and diabetes — Microbiology Insights