Drinking water ‘cuts diabetes risk’

Drinking water instead of fizzy drinks could significantly decrease the risk of diabetes and heart disease, health experts said.

Leading figures from Harvard University presented new evidence which shows replacing sugar-sweetened drinks with water can lead to weight loss and help reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by seven per cent.

The findings were published yesterday at the Sustaining the Blue Planet: Global Water Education Conference in Montana, US.

Frank Hu, professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, said: “There is convincing evidence that regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with increased risk of obesity and diabetes, and emerging evidence that these beverages increase the risk for heart disease.

“To reduce risk of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases, it is important to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and replace them with healthier choices such as water and unsweetened tea or coffee.”

More than 2.8 million people in the UK have diabetes, according to NHS figures.

Diabetes UK says 10 per cent of total NHS spending goes towards treating the condition and its complications.