At a conference held by the International Cardiometabolic Risk Consortium (ICCR), scholars suggested that obesity is one of the major risk factors for triggering diabetes. Several interventional studies have found that obesity can be reduced and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes substantially reduced by making lifestyle changes, increasing physical activity, adopting a healthy diet and avoiding excessive consumption of sugary sweetened beverages. Q: Today, people cannot live without sugary drinks (i.e., soft drinks), and some even drink them every day. How much sugar do sugary drinks contain? What is the probability of obesity if I consume too many sugary drinks? A: Sugary drinks, even a small can of Coca-Cola, have 10 teaspoons of sugar. If you switch to a bottle of Coca-Cola, there is a large bowl of sugar. However, many people do not feel that much sugar when they drink the beverage. We can do some calculations, a small can of sugary drinks has 150 kcal of energy (627 kJ), if you exercise to consume 150 kcal of energy, it takes at least half an hour to walk; if you drink several cans of sugary drinks a day, you have hundreds or even thousands of kcal of energy, plus the usual meals, the energy is greatly over the limit. If you don’t change your lifestyle, strengthen your exercise and reduce your other energy intake, you will soon gain weight and even become obese. It has been proven that there is a correlation between sugary drinks and obesity. Adolescents who drink one can of sugary soda a day increase their risk of obesity by about 60 percent; adults who regularly consume sugary beverages can similarly lead to weight gain and obesity. Q: Is excessive intake of sugary drinks another “stepping stone” to diabetes? A: Yes. In a study done in the United States on type 2 diabetes, regular consumption of sugary drinks significantly increased the risk of type 2 diabetes compared to people who did not drink sugary drinks. A study in Singapore, which followed people for 10-15 years, also found that consuming 1-2 servings of sugary drinks a day would increase the risk of developing diabetes by about 25 percent. Many people consume 2-3 servings of sugary drinks per day, which will significantly increase the risk of diabetes. So, drinking sugary drinks leads to an increased incidence of obesity, which in turn leads to an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes. In addition, there are some bad ingredients in sugary drinks that can also directly contribute to the development of diabetes. Q: Some people like to drink sugary drinks during meals and feel that the more they drink, the better their appetite is. A: Liquid food does not have a sense of satiety like solid food, so drinking sugary drinks does not make you feel full, and you can still eat the same amount of food as usual; the body’s supervision of energy in liquid is not as precise as that of solid food, so you can eat a lot without realizing it, which can easily lead to excess energy. In addition, sweetened beverages stimulate the body’s appetite for other sweet or high-carbohydrate foods, causing people to indulge in sweetened foods, such as snacks, and in doing so, they not only take in a lot of energy from beverages, but also get a lot of energy from foods such as sweet snacks. So, sugary drinks lead to increased energy intake throughout the mealtime session. Q: What can I do to reduce the intake of sugary drinks? A: Nowadays, organizations such as the American Children’s Organization, the Heart Association, and the Diabetes Association advocate the need to reduce the intake of sugary drinks to control weight and reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and gout. In the short term (1 to 2 years), reducing sugary drink intake can lower weight and reduce obesity; in the long term, it can reduce the risk of diabetes. Children love fast food and drinks. Therefore, it is important to reduce the intake of sugary drinks and reduce childhood obesity, starting from children, from schools and from families. It is important to promote the consumption of beverages that do not contain sugar, such as choosing water, which is a natural, energy-free beverage. If some people find the taste of water too bland, they can add small amounts of fruit juice and lemon juice. In fact, there are many options in China, drinking tea is a good choice, because tea does not contain energy. However, if you drink tea with a lot of milk and sugar, as the British and Americans do, it will not be healthy. Also, it is good to drink sugar-free coffee, you can try, get used to it and do not feel the bitterness, after drinking can also feel the original coffee mellow. Q: Nowadays, there are a lot of ads for sugary drinks, and children are impressed by them, so parents sometimes don’t know how to refuse their children’s requests for sugary drinks. Please tell us how interventions are made abroad? A: The governments of Denmark, the UK and Mexico have begun to restrict unhealthy foods from being advertised, especially for children. New York in the United States recently tried to pass a law that sugary drinks cannot be sold in places like movie theaters; even if they are sold, they are in small cans, like Coca-Cola which cannot exceed 450 ml, so that the sale and intake of sugary drinks can be reduced. Elementary and secondary schools across the United States also require that the concentration of sugary drinks should be different for different grades. In Quebec, Canada, advertising of sugary drinks for children is banned, and no sugary drink vending machines are allowed in elementary or secondary schools. Some also emphasize that elementary school students should only drink water. Q: Why is getting rid of sugary drinks the easiest and best way to control weight and prevent diabetes? A: Losing weight and preventing diabetes is not an easy task, and people will feel “meaningless” if they don’t eat this and that. However, not drinking sugary drinks is a single behavior that can be changed, and it is easier to do than improving your diet completely. Now, there are some very simple and easy to understand indicators that can predict what risks will arise from the consumption of these foods. For example, potato chips, a bad indicator; nuts and yogurt, a good indicator. Sugar-sweetened beverages, regardless of which, are a bad indicator. The more sugary drinks you consume, the higher the health risk you pose. One cannot do without water, but one can do without sugary beverages. Not drinking sugary drinks is the easiest bad habit to correct. Sticking to no sugary drinks is one of the best weight loss actions with fast results.