Warning over soft drinks and links to diabetes

DRINKING more than two sugary or artificially sweetened soft drinks per day greatly increases the risk of diabetes, research has indicated.

The Swedish study found that consuming more than two 200ml drinks more than doubled the chances of developing Type 2 diabetes.

A soft drink habit consisting of at least five drinks boosted the likelihood 10.5 times.

Soft drinks also increased the risk of a less common condition called latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, which shares characteristics of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes, which requires insulin injections, is a disease that wipes out insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

Type 2, which affects almost three million in the UK, alters the way the body responds to insulin and is related to obesity and lifestyle.