The younger onset of diabetes has become an urgent global public health problem to be addressed. As the primary source of liquid sugar intake for young and middle-aged people, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are an independent high-risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in this population, and sugar addiction may play an important mediating role in the association between SSB intake and the onset of T2DM in young and middle-aged people. This paper systematically sorts out the consumption status and characteristics of SSBs among young and middle-aged people, and summarizes the correlation between SSB intake and the risk of T2DM as well as the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. It elaborates on the specific mechanisms by which SSBs induce sugar addiction from four dimensions: neurobiology, behavioral psychology, physiological metabolism and gut microbiota, and analyzes the core pathway of sugar addiction mediating the association between SSB intake and the development of T2DM in young and middle-aged people. Finally, targeted prevention, control and intervention strategies are proposed from the individual, medical, social and policy levels, aiming to provide a theoretical reference for the precise prevention and control of T2DM in young and middle-aged people and a practical basis for the formulation of relevant public health strategies.