Soft drink fans looking for a healthier alternative often choose those sweetened without sugar in hopes it will be better for them. But new research from Australia shows artificially sweetened soft drinks can increase the risk of developing diabetes by as much as 38 percent.

The scientists at Monash University say that is even higher than if those people were to drink sugar-sweetened soda. All things being equal, those who drank soda with real sugar had a 23 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is estimated to affect as many as 500 million people around the world, with the majority of cases being the result of diet and lifestyle. The study results published in the journal Diabetes & Metabolism tracked 36,000 Australian adults between the ages of 40-69 over a 14 year span.

"Drinking one or more of these beverages each day—whether sweetened with sugar or artificial substitutes—was linked to a significantly higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes," said researcher Robel Hussen Kabthymer.

Study senior author professor Barbora de Courten said the findings of their study challenge the popular notion that artificially sweetened drinks are a safer option. "Artificial sweeteners are often recommended to people at risk of diabetes as a healthier alternative, but our results suggest they may pose their own health risks," she said.

Research suggests the link between sugar-sweetened drinks and diabetes is mainly explained by obesity. But it's not necessarily the same for artificially sweetened drinks. The link remained strong for type 2 diabetes even after adjusting for body weight. That suggested to researchers those drinks may be having a direct effect on metabolism.

"We support measures like sugary drink taxes, but our study shows we also need to pay attention to artificially-sweetened options," de Courten said. "These are often marketed as better for you; yet may carry their own risks. Future policies should take a broader approach to reducing intake of all non-nutritive beverages."

Click here to read more in the journal Diabetes & Metabolism.