Researchers at Harvard University have presented evidence showing that replacing sugar-sweetened drinks with drinking water can help reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by seven per cent as well as helping to reduce weight.
Professor Frank Hu, from the Harvard School of Public Health stated that: “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.â€
As far back as the “Sustaining the Blue Planet: Global Water Education Conference†held in 2010, it was stated at the Healthy Hydration Symposium that drinking water, especially pure bottled water, is considered as being vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) agrees, saying that it encourages consumers to make a habit of drinking more water, especially bottled water.
Of all the reasons to stay well-hydrated, this may be just the extra little kick in the butt that some people need, seeing that an estimated 347 million people worldwide have diabetes and the proposed deaths from diabetes are expected to rise to be the7th leading cause of death by 2030. [Source: WHO]
The reason why drinking water is seeing as a preventative measure for diabetes is because of a hormone called vasopressin. Vasopressin helps regulate water retention, especially when the body is dehydrated; this results in the kidneys retaining water whilst the hormone makes the liver produce blood sugar.
Diabetes Care, a publication of the American Diabetes Association, published the results of a study in 2011 wherein French scientists tracked around 3,000 healthy men and women aged between 30 and 65 for almost a decade.
Although all those who took part had normal blood sugar levels at the start, within 9 years around 800 had developed Type II Diabetes. It was noted, however that those who drank between 17-34 ounces of water per day showed a 30% lower risk than those who drank less water.
According to the NHS, in excess of 2.8 million people in the UK suffer from diabetes, and a further 1 million have the disease without even knowing that they do. Diabetes sufferers cannot break down glucose into energy, which leads to a rise in blood-sugar levels, called hyperglycaemia. This can lead to thirst, drowsiness, and diabetic ketoacidosis, which can eventually lead to unconsciousness and even death. Diabetes also raises the risk for a heart attack.
Drinking water is one of the best ways to avoid obesity, which is one of the precursors to diabetes. The best way of ensuring that you are drinking water that is pure and healthy is to invest in a water cooler that will always have cool, clear, fresh water for you to drink.
Hire water dispensers or purchase water coolers online from Living-Water. Get an under counter water cooler and point of use water cooler for your office.
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