Sugary beverages continue to rear their ugly heads on the chronic disease front.  Aside from smoking, consuming sugary beverages tops my list of unhealthy habits. Soda has zero nutritional value and has repeatedly been linked to great harm.  In a new report that analyzed data from 11 previous studies, researchers concluded that drinking one or two sugary drinks a day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent relative to rarely consuming them. A key finding in this evaluation was that risk increased independent of weight gain – meaning sugary beverages appear to have direct metabolic effects that foster the development of type 2 diabetes.

In America, type 2 diabetes is currently a run-away train – affecting 12% of the population at a yearly price tag of 174 billion dollars.  The CDC just released a new report that projects by the year 2050, assuming we continue on our current reckless path, up to one in three adults will suffer from this almost totally preventable condition.( Just typing that statement sent my adrenalin soaring!) (Diabetes Care, October 2010)

If you currently consume sugary beverages, STOP! And for the rest of the just say whoa! to type 2 diabetes story, click here.