Researchers followed nearly 77,500 Mexican women for about 7.6 years to see if the overall quality of their drinks affected their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. They created a scoring system that rated beverages based on things like coffee, milk, juice, sugary drinks, and alcohol. While they expected women who drank healthier beverages would have lower diabetes rates, the results were surprising: the beverage quality score didn’t clearly protect against diabetes. This suggests that simply looking at drink choices as a whole might not be enough to predict diabetes risk, and scientists may need to study this topic differently for Mexican populations.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether drinking healthier beverages (based on a special scoring system) could lower the chances of developing type 2 diabetes in women
  • Who participated: 77,484 Mexican female teachers with an average age of 46 years who didn’t have diabetes when the study started in 2006-2008
  • Key finding: After following women for about 7.6 years, 4,521 developed diabetes. However, women with the highest beverage quality scores didn’t have significantly fewer cases of diabetes compared to those with the lowest scores. The difference was small and not statistically reliable.
  • What it means for you: While choosing healthier drinks is still a good idea for overall health, this study suggests that beverage choices alone may not be a strong predictor of diabetes risk. Other factors like diet, exercise, and genetics likely play important roles too. Don’t rely solely on improving your drinks to prevent diabetes—a comprehensive healthy lifestyle matters more.

The Research Details

This was a long-term follow-up study called a cohort study. Researchers started with Mexican women teachers who didn’t have diabetes and tracked them over time to see who developed the disease. At the beginning, they asked women detailed questions about what they ate and drank using a 140-item food questionnaire. Based on these answers, researchers created a Beverage Quality Index (BQI)—a scoring system that rated how healthy someone’s drink choices were. The score ranged from 0 to 70, with higher scores meaning healthier beverage patterns. They then followed these women for up to 12 years (with an average of 7.6 years) and recorded who developed type 2 diabetes.

The BQI scoring system looked at seven different drink-related factors: how much coffee people drank, milk consumption, fruit and vegetable juices, sugar-sweetened beverages (like soda), alcohol, added sugar in drinks, and the total calories from beverages. Each component contributed to the overall score. Researchers used statistical methods to compare diabetes rates between women with the highest BQI scores (healthiest drink patterns) and those with the lowest scores (least healthy drink patterns), while accounting for other factors that might affect diabetes risk like age, physical activity, and overall diet quality.

This research approach is important because most previous studies looked at individual beverages one at a time—like whether soda increases diabetes risk or whether coffee protects against it. However, people don’t drink beverages in isolation; they drink a combination of different drinks throughout the day. By creating an overall beverage quality score, researchers hoped to capture the real-world pattern of what people actually drink. This comprehensive approach could provide more practical guidance for people trying to prevent diabetes through their beverage choices.

This study has several strengths: it included a large number of participants (over 77,000), followed them for many years, and used detailed dietary information collected at the start. However, there are some limitations to consider. The study relied on women’s memory and self-reporting of what they drank, which can be inaccurate. Additionally, diabetes cases were identified through self-reports or administrative records, which might miss some cases. The study was conducted in Mexico, so results may not apply equally to other populations. Finally, the researchers adjusted for many confounding factors, but some unmeasured factors could still influence the results.

What the Results Show

During the study period, 4,521 women out of 77,484 developed type 2 diabetes. When researchers compared women with the highest beverage quality scores (55 or higher) to those with the lowest scores (below 25), they found a slight suggestion that higher scores were associated with lower diabetes risk. However, this difference was very small and not statistically reliable—meaning it could easily have occurred by chance.

When researchers looked at the relationship between beverage quality and diabetes risk more carefully using advanced statistical methods, they found no clear pattern. The association wasn’t consistent across different score ranges, suggesting that beverage quality alone doesn’t have a strong, predictable effect on diabetes development.

The average beverage quality score in the study was 37.3 out of 70, indicating that on average, these women had moderate beverage quality. Scores ranged widely from 9.8 to 69.3, showing that women had very different drinking patterns.

The study didn’t find any hidden patterns when looking at different subgroups of women or when examining the relationship in different ways. This consistency in finding no strong association actually strengthens the conclusion that beverage quality as measured by this index may not be a major factor in diabetes risk for this population. The researchers noted that the lack of association was somewhat surprising given that individual beverages like sugar-sweetened drinks have been linked to diabetes in other studies.

Previous research has shown that specific beverages—particularly sugar-sweetened drinks—are associated with higher diabetes risk, while coffee and tea may offer some protection. This study’s finding that overall beverage quality doesn’t strongly predict diabetes risk suggests that the relationship between what we drink and diabetes is more complex than a simple scoring system can capture. It’s possible that the amount consumed matters more than the overall pattern, or that other lifestyle factors are more important than beverage choices alone.

Several important limitations should be considered when interpreting these results. First, the study only included Mexican women teachers, so findings may not apply to men, other ethnic groups, or people in different occupations or countries. Second, dietary information was collected only once at the start of the study, but people’s drinking habits may change over time. Third, the study relied on women remembering and accurately reporting what they drank, which is often inaccurate. Fourth, the researchers couldn’t account for all possible factors that might influence diabetes risk. Finally, the beverage quality index was developed for a different purpose and may not be the best way to measure drink patterns specifically for diabetes prevention in Mexican populations.

The Bottom Line

Based on this research, we cannot confidently recommend using a beverage quality score as a primary tool for diabetes prevention. However, this doesn’t mean beverage choices don’t matter—other research still supports limiting sugar-sweetened drinks and choosing water, unsweetened coffee, or tea instead. Focus on overall healthy lifestyle habits including regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, eating plenty of vegetables and whole grains, and limiting processed foods. If you’re concerned about diabetes risk, talk to your doctor about comprehensive prevention strategies rather than relying on beverage choices alone. Confidence level: Moderate—this is one study in one population, and more research is needed.

This research is relevant to anyone interested in diabetes prevention, particularly women and Mexican populations. Healthcare providers should be aware that beverage quality indices may not be reliable predictors of diabetes risk in Mexican women. However, this doesn’t mean people should ignore their drink choices—it simply means that beverage quality alone is probably not sufficient for diabetes prevention. People with family histories of diabetes, those who are overweight, or those with prediabetes should focus on comprehensive lifestyle changes rather than beverage modifications alone.

If you make changes to your beverage choices, don’t expect to see dramatic changes in diabetes risk immediately. Type 2 diabetes develops over years or decades, and any protective effects from healthier drinking would likely take months to years to become apparent. More importantly, focus on sustained lifestyle changes rather than quick fixes. Improvements in blood sugar control and weight might be noticeable within weeks to months, but diabetes prevention is a long-term commitment.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track daily beverage intake by type (water, coffee, tea, juice, soda, milk, alcohol) and total calories from drinks. Record at least 3-5 days per week to identify patterns. Monitor changes in energy levels and thirst over 4-week periods.
  • Set a specific goal like ‘drink 6-8 glasses of water daily’ or ‘replace one sugary drink with unsweetened tea.’ Use the app to log each beverage consumed and receive reminders for water intake. Track the number of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed weekly and aim to reduce by 25% each month.
  • Create a weekly beverage summary showing total calories from drinks, breakdown by beverage type, and trends over time. Set alerts if sugar-sweetened beverage consumption exceeds personal goals. Combine beverage tracking with other health metrics like weight, energy levels, and blood sugar readings (if available) to see the bigger picture of lifestyle impact.

This research suggests that beverage quality alone may not be a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes risk in Mexican women. However, this is one study and should not be interpreted as meaning that beverage choices don’t matter for overall health. Individual beverages like sugar-sweetened drinks have been linked to diabetes in other research. This information is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. If you have concerns about diabetes risk or are experiencing symptoms of diabetes, consult with a qualified healthcare provider. People with diabetes or prediabetes should work with their healthcare team to develop a comprehensive prevention or management plan that includes diet, exercise, weight management, and regular monitoring.