Soda bottle on its side. Credit: Alonso Nichols/ Tufts University.
A new study has linked millions of diabetes and heart disease cases globally to the consumption of sugary and fizzy drinks.
The research reveals the health impacts of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages.
The study, from researchers at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, estimates that 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease occur each year globally due to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
In developing countries, the case count is particularly sobering.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the study found that sugar-sweetened beverages contributed to more than 21% of all new diabetes cases. In Latin America and the Caribbean, they contributed to nearly 24% of new diabetes cases and more than 11% of new cases of cardiovascular disease.
Colombia, Mexico, and South Africa are countries that have been particularly hard hit. More than 48% of all new diabetes cases in Colombia were attributable to consumption of sugary drinks. Nearly one third of all new diabetes cases in Mexico were linked to sugary drink consumption.
In South Africa, 27.6% of new diabetes cases and 14.6% of cardiovascular disease cases were attributable to sugary drink consumption.
Metabolic issues
Sugary beverages are rapidly digested, causing a spike in blood sugar levels with little nutritional value.
Regular consumption over time leads to weight gain, insulin resistance, and a host of metabolic issues tied to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the world’s leading causes of death.
Dariush Mozaffarian, senior author on the paper and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School, said: “Sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily marketed and sold in low- and middle-income nations.
“Not only are these communities consuming harmful products, but they are also often less well equipped to deal with the long-term health consequences,”
As countries develop and incomes rise, sugary drinks become more accessible and desirable, the authors say.
Men are more likely than women to suffer the consequences of sugary drink consumption, as are younger adults compared to their older counterparts.
Laura Lara-Castor, NG24, first author on the paper who earned her PhD at the Friedman School and is now at the University of Washington, said: “We need urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally, before even more lives are shortened by their effects on diabetes and heart disease.”
The study’s authors call for a multi-pronged approach, including public health campaigns, regulation of sugary drink advertising, and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages.
Some countries have already taken steps in this direction – Mexico, which has one of the highest per capita rates of sugary drink consumption in the world, introduced a tax on the beverages in 2014.
Early evidence suggests that the tax has been effective in reducing consumption, particularly among lower-income individuals.
Mozaffarian, who is also Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition at the Friedman School, said: “Much more needs to be done, especially in countries in Latin America and Africa where consumption is high and the health consequence severe.
“As a species, we need to address sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.” The research is published in Nature Medicine.
