Sweetened juice linked to diabetes

Are you drinking fruit juice because you think it's a healthy alternative to soda? Think again. A recent study has linked the consumption of sweetened fruit juice to type 2 diabetes. Women in the study who drank two or more servings of sweetened fruit juice per day had a 31% increased risk of developing diabetes than those who drank less than one per month.

Researchers who are trying to zero in on type 2 diabetes say that "calories trump everything," and that drinking or eating heavily sweetened foods are an easy way to overdo it on the calories. My dentist has always given me and my kids the rule "4 oz. per day and after that, it's liquid candy."

Orange juice and grapefruit juice are exempt from this study, both because they are naturally sweetened and because they are more likely to be eaten with a meal, which means they'd likely have a reduced effect on blood sugar. Stick to water to stay hydrated in a healthy way between meals, flavoring it naturally if necessary.