Sugary Drinks Increase Risk of Type II Diabetes in African-American Women

Monday, October 20, 2008 by: E.L. West
Tags: sugary drinks, health news, Natural News

(NewsTarget) The diabetes dilemma is growing each year, with the more and more Americans are becoming affected by this disease. Diet is undoubtedly the biggest contributor, and the epidemic is even greater amongst African-Americans, with more than twofold the number of African-American women afflicted with this disease over Caucasian women—the epidemic is growing larger and larger.

New research has indicated that sugary drinks (soda and fruit) are a big contributor to type II diabetes in African-American women. The study surveyed participants of the Black Women's Health Study with questions regarding height, weight, everyday dietary habits, demographic characteristics, medical history and other factors. The study participants were sent follow-up surveys every two years. The study found that women who consumed 2 or more soft drinks a day had a 24 percent increased occurrence of the disease as compared to those women who consumed a soft drink less than once per month. A similar result was found with fruit drinks, with a 31 percent increase in those who had two or more servings a day compared to those who consumed a serving or less once per month.

Many are aware of the negative health effects of soft drinks -- aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sucralose, and other artificial additives -- but few recognize that fruit juice can be just as bad. Even organic fruit juices with none of the previously mentioned additives can be very bad if consumed on a regular basis. Yes, those additives are bad, but sugar is sugar. If your family has a history of insulin resistance -- the mechanism behind type II diabetes—and type II diabetes, then you need to avoid over -- consuming sugar products. Refined grains, fruit juices, baked foods, all of these need to be avoided. Instead, add more freshly juiced vegetables and some freshly juiced fruits (not a whole lot and with the pulp) along with sprouted nuts and protein foods (protein stabilizes blood sugar).

Diabetes is a ravaging disorder that can lead to amputations, kidney failure, blindness, erectile dysfunction and many other difficulties. In the United States, there are far too many souls who are overweight and obese, and these problem tend to be more observable in the African-American community. The first step to beating diabetes is to learn about proper nutrition and exercise habits; instruct others in the ways of proper eating; and implement a strategy to utilize nutrition knowledge. Unfortunately, knowledge of good nutrition is not readily found in African-American communities. Hopefully, a change will come and more people of every race will learn to combat this troubling disorder.

Source:

(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07...)

About the author

Emily West is a freelance writer that focuses on topics of natural health and sustainable food production systems. She also maintains a blog, The Wordsmith, at www.journeyoutofrabbithole.wordpress.com