Multiple studies have proven consuming excess sugar is linked to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

But a new study from Brigham Young University refined the research to show not all types of sugar consumption are the same.

The findings have implications for dirty soda fanatics across Utah Valley.

A meta-analysis study showed that sugary beverages like soda and fruit juice are more likely to cause Type 2 diabetes than other sugary foods.

In fact, every 12-ounce serving of sugar-sweetened beverages per day increases the risk of developing diabetes by 25%, starting with the first daily serving, the study found.

“Sugars from sugar-sweet beverages, like sodas and energy drinks, were very strongly and consistently associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes,” said Karen Della Corte, a BYU assistant professor for nutrition, dietetics and food sciences and co-author of the study. “That’s across multiple countries and populations. But moderate amounts of sugar consumed as part of whole foods, fruit, dairy and grains just added to the diet. The release was not associated with harm, and in some cases, it showed us even a protective association.”

The reason has to do with the way bodies process sugar, Della Corte explained. Sugar is 50% fructose, a molecule that is processed in the liver to be converted into glucose. Liquid sugar does not contain anything solid to slow the digestion process, so when liquid sugar hits the liver it “can flood the system fast,” Della Corte said, and overwhelm the body’s ability to process it.

That turns the excess fructose into fat.

“That’s the process known as de novo lipogenesis,” Della Corte said. “It’s just the hepatic or liver fat buildup. And this buildup of fat in the liver can interfere with insulin signaling. It’s linked with insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction, and that’s really what we believe is the mechanism behind liquid sugars and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.”

Solid foods that contain protein, fiber or fat, on the other hand, can absorb slower and release fructose in a controlled way, leading to smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin and putting less stress on the liver, the study found.

The findings lined up with researchers’ hypothesis — that sugar impact depends on how it’s delivered.

“Not just how much you eat, but what else comes along with it,” Della Corte said.

BYU professors Dennis Della Corte and James LeCheminant and BYU students Tyler Bosler and Cole McClure were also co-authors on the study, while German professors Dr. Annette Budkin and Lukas Schwingshackl collaborated on the project.

Researchers scanned through 10,000 articles and pooled almost 20 longitudinal cohort studies involving over 500,000 participants from around the world that measured sugar intake in humans and its connection to Type 2 diabetes over time.

“They’re following up on people for many years, sometimes decades, because it takes that long for types of diabetes to develop,” Della Corte said. “So this is nothing that an intervention or a randomized controlled trial could ever assess.”

She believes the findings should alter the way public health guidelines approach sugar, changing messages about cutting sugar into messages that focus on where the sugar comes from and what form it’s consumed in.

And Della Corte’s advice to the dirty soda drinkers?

“You don’t have to cut sugar altogether, but you should approach sugary beverages with caution. So I hope that this type of research can be informative, help people to just maybe try to reduce their intake, or replace it with healthy alternatives.”