- New research suggests that gut bacteria may mediate the link between sugary drink consumption and increased diabetes risk.
- A study of over 16,000 Hispanic/Latino adults found that sugary beverages alter gut microbiota and blood metabolites – leading to worse metabolic health.
- Individuals with higher levels of sugar-related metabolites had a greater likelihood of developing diabetes over the following 10 years.
It is widely accepted that consuming sugary drinks raises the risk of developing diabetes yet the precise mechanism behind this link remains unclear.
However, new research published in Cell Metabolism suggests that gut bacteria may play a significant role in this process.
A long-term study of Hispanic/Latino adults in the United States has revealed notable differences in gut microbiota and blood metabolites among individuals who frequently consume sugar-sweetened beverages.
The findings indicate that those with a high intake of these drinks displayed an altered metabolic profile, which was associated with an increased likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes over the following decade.
Since certain metabolites involved in this process are produced by gut bacteria, the results suggest that the gut microbiome could mediate the relationship between sugary drinks and diabetes.
“Our study offers a potential explanation for why sugar-sweetened beverages negatively impact metabolism,” explains senior researcher Qibin Qi, an epidemiologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
“While our findings are observational, they provide useful insights that could inform future diabetes prevention and management strategies involving the gut microbiome.”
What is the impact of sugary drinks?
In the United States, sugar-sweetened beverages are the primary source of added sugar in adult diets.
Data from 2017 and 2018 indicate that American adults consumed an average of 34.8g of added sugar per day from drinks such as fizzy soft drinks and sweetened fruit juices.
Compared to added sugars in solid foods, sugar from beverages is absorbed more rapidly and provides a high energy density, as these drinks primarily contain sugar and water.
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Previous research in Europe and China has demonstrated that sugar-sweetened beverages alter the composition of the gut microbiome.
However, this new study is the first to examine whether these changes in gut bacteria influence metabolism and diabetes risk.
It is also the first to investigate this effect in a US-based Hispanic/Latino population; a group with high diabetes prevalence and high sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.
What did the study find?
The researchers used data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a large-scale cohort study involving over 16,000 participants from American cities including San Diego, Chicago, Miami, and the New York.
At the outset, participants provided dietary recall data covering the previous 24 hours and gave blood samples to assess their serum metabolites.
A subset of 3,035 participants later provided stool samples, which were analysed to assess gut microbiome composition. The researchers then examined links between sugary drink consumption, gut microbiota, and metabolic changes.
The results showed that individuals who consumed two or more sugary drinks per day had significant changes in the levels of nine bacterial species in their gut.
Four of these species are known to produce short-chain fatty acids – compounds that arise from fibre digestion and are thought to benefit glucose metabolism. However, the bacterial species associated with sugary drink consumption were generally linked to poorer metabolic health.
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Interestingly, these bacteria were not associated with sugar intake from solid foods.
Additionally, the study identified 56 blood metabolites linked to sugary drink consumption, many of which were either produced by gut bacteria or derived from bacterial metabolism.
These metabolites were associated with negative metabolic traits, including:
- Higher fasting blood glucose
- Higher insulin levels
- Increased BMI
- Increased waist-to-hip ratios
- Lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
Notably, individuals with elevated levels of these metabolites were more likely to develop diabetes within the following ten years.
“We identified several metabolites related to gut bacteria that are associated with diabetes risk,” Qi explains. “This suggests that these compounds could serve as early indicators of future diabetes.”
Although the study provides strong evidence of a connection between sugary drinks, gut microbiota, and diabetes risk, the researchers acknowledge that their sample size was not large enough to establish whether specific bacterial species directly contribute to diabetes. Further research is needed to confirm this link.
The team also plans to expand their research to examine whether microbial metabolites play a role in other chronic diseases linked to high sugar consumption, such as cardiovascular disease.
If confirmed, these findings could pave the way for new strategies to prevent or manage metabolic disorders by targeting the gut microbiome.
