Are you diabetic? Here are the drinks to choose for a longer life
Type 2 diabetes usually occurs after age 40 and increases in frequency with age.
It is linked to changing lifestyles, particularly unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical activity. As a reminder, diabetes is a disease in which there is too much sugar in the blood, called hyperglycaemia.
Although regular medication can be offered to diabetics, the treatment of diabetes is in all cases based on a suitable lifestyle: hygiene of life, balanced diet.
That’s why researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, USA, have looked at drinking in patients with type 2 diabetes. They found that some snacks would be preferred over others in order to reduce the risk of premature death. The results were published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on April 19, 2023.
Tea, milk: which are these drinks to favor?
To arrive at this conclusion, the scientists analyzed the health data of nearly 13,000 people (9,252 women and 3,519 men), all of whom had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the time of the study. The researchers followed the patients over an 18-year period, and assessed their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, coffee, tea, milk, fruit juices and still water using a questionnaire.
Result? The authors of the study found that drinking coffee would reduce the risk of premature death by 26%. The risk was reduced by 23% for still water and 12% for skimmed milk. Tea is associated with a 21% lower mortality.
Fruit juice and soda associated with a higher risk of death
The researchers also found that a relatively high intake of sugary drinks such as fruit juice or soft drinks and soft drinks without alcohol is associated with a 20% increase in the risk of premature death or cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.
‘People with diabetes need to pay attention to how they hydrate themselves,’ Professor Sun, one of the authors of the study, said in a statement. “Moving from sugary drinks to healthier ones is good for your health.”
