SANTA CRUZ >> One in four people hospitalized in Santa Cruz County has diabetes, and one in three in California, driving up health care costs, according to a study released Thursday by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research recommending prevention efforts.

The study, based on 2011 data from the Office of Statewide Health and Planning Development, reports 3,900 hospitalizations that year of people with diabetes in Santa Cruz County, 6,700 in Monterey County and 729,000 for California.

With a hospital stay costing $2,200 more for a patient with diabetes, a disease that can be prevented by adopting a healthier diet and daily exercise, the study calculates the extra cost at $8.5 million in Santa Cruz County, $14.7 million Monterey County and $1.6 billion statewide.

Diabetes is more common among Latinos than other ethnic groups.

Among the complications from Type 2 diabetes, the preventable type that represents 95 percent of all cases, are heart attacks, high blood pressure, fungal infections, nerve damage and cataracts.

One of the most expensive complications is limb amputation.

The authors of the UCLA study cite a growing body of research that shows sugary beverages are "uniquely harmful" because the liquid sugar is absorbed in as little as 30 minutes, leading to a spike in blood sugar the body is not equipped to handle.

A 2010 meta-analysis reviewing eight studies involving 310,000 participants found drinking a soft drink a day increased the risk of developing diabetes by 26 percent.

To stem the increase in diabetes, the UCLA researchers offer 18 recommendations for families, health providers, city and county officials and state lawmakers.

Among them are: Drink water instead of soda and sugary drinks; remove sugary drinks from health care facilities; provide diabetes screening; provide safe places to be physically active; provide free drinking water in parks and public places; require warning labels on sugary drinks and establish a tax on sugary drinks using the revenue for diabetes prevention efforts.

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Diabetes driving up health care costs, study finds