A new study conducted by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health has found that the risk of type 2 diabetes can be reduced by almost 8 percent by drinking plain water instead of sweet fizzy drinks or fruit juice.
The researchers collected data about the drinking habits of nearly 83,000 women who took part in the Nurses Health Study over a 12-year period and found that replacing just one glass of fruit juice or fizzy drink with plain water could reduce diabetes risk by 7 to 8 percent.
"People have recommended drinking plain water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages. And the question is whether this kind of substitution has any impact on diabetes. Because diabetes is so prevalent in our society, even 7 or 8 per cent reduction in diabetes risk is quite substantial in terms of the population", lead researcher Frank Hu said.