Flavoured milk and milkshakes may pose a worse diabetes risk than soft drinks, new research has suggested.

Replacing full-sugar soda with water cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 14 per cent, while replacing sweetened milk drinks cut the risk by up to 25 per cent.

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Milkshakes and flavoured milks can be even sweeter than some soft drinks. Photo: Shutterstock

The findings were “good news”, said lead author University of Cambridge researcher Dr Nita Forouhi in a statement.

This is because water, or even unsweetened tea or coffee, can be used to get rid of these unhealthy drinks, Dr Forouhi said.

The study offers “practical suggestions for healthy alternative drinks for the prevention of diabetes,” she said.

Some brands of flavoured milk can contain as much or more sugar than cola soft drinks, which may explain the findings.

The results released on Thursday were published in European journal Diabetologia, which studied the impact of sugary beverages on more than 25,000 British men and women aged 40-79 years.

It also found that the risk of diabetes may rise exponentially whenever we drink sugar.

Upping your sweet drink intake by five per cent could increase risk by 18 per cent, the study found.