Sugary Beverages Associated with Millions of New Cases of Diabetes and Heart Disease
According to recent research, developing nations are disproportionately affected by the health crisis associated with sugary drinks.
Sugary beverages significantly contribute to chronic health problems. A study from Tufts University in Boston indicates that around one in ten new cases of Type 2 diabetes and one in thirty new instances of cardiovascular disease can be attributed to sugary drink intake.
Published in Nature Medicine on Monday, the study involved a thorough examination of the global impact of sugar-sweetened beverages. The researchers assessed sugary drink consumption data gathered from dietary surveys comprising 2.9 million individuals across 118 countries, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of the world’s population.
The findings revealed that between 1990 and 2020, sugary drinks were responsible for 5 percent of all deaths due to Type 2 diabetes and 2 percent linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Globally, the share of Type 2 diabetes cases attributed to sugary drinks rose by an absolute percentage point of 1.3 percent.
“T2D (Type 2 diabetes) burdens increased from 1990 to 2020 globally, while CVD burdens remained stable,” noted Laura Lara-Castor, the corresponding author and a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, in an interview with The Epoch Times.
Global Burden of Diseases Tied to Sugary Drink Intake
The study analyzed people’s consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) based on data from 450 surveys.
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The study’s authors estimated that from 1990 to 2020, SSB intake was responsible for around 12.5 million years of healthy life lost due to disease, with 5 million from Type 2 diabetes and 7.6 million from cardiovascular disease.
Latin America and the Caribbean were identified as the regions most affected, showing the highest proportions of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease cases linked to sugary drinks. In contrast, countries in Southeast and East Asia faced the least impact.
Latin America had the greatest number of diabetes cases tied to sugary drink consumption, whereas the Middle East and North Africa reported the highest incidence of cardiovascular disease associated with SSBs.
Sugary drinks were classified as beverages containing added sugar and at least 50 calories, encompassing items such as soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks, and lemonades.
Drinks made from 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, sweetened milk, and those containing zero-calorie artificial sweeteners were not categorized as sugary drinks.
The adverse health impacts of sugary drinks arise from several factors, such as elevating blood sugar levels and promoting fat accumulation.
Consuming sugary drinks causes a swift rise in blood sugar, compelling the body to exert considerable effort to return to normal levels. Over time, repeated sugar surges render the body less capable of managing these spikes, often resulting in persistently high blood sugar levels—a crucial contributor to Type 2 diabetes.
The fructose found in table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, common sweeteners in these beverages, signals the liver to produce excess fat, which can accumulate in the liver and blood vessels, leading to fatty liver disease and cardiovascular complications.
Additionally, sugary drinks may supplant healthier beverage options, depriving individuals of vital nutrients, potentially causing malnutrition, weight gain, and inflammation.
Developing Nations Are the Most Affected
Countries classified as developing nations, such as Colombia, Mexico, and South Africa, are facing some of the most severe consequences of sugary beverage consumption. For instance, in Colombia, over 48 percent of new diabetes cases and 23 percent of new cardiovascular disease cases were found to be linked to SSB consumption.
“As SSB consumption has stabilized or begun to decrease in affluent nations, the beverage industry has shifted its focus to emerging markets, where populations are particularly vulnerable to the marketing allure of aspirational ‘Western’ lifestyles,” Lara-Castor explained.
She added that this trend appears most pronounced among educated adults.
Countries with lower income levels, lack of education, and poor health outcomes often encounter obstacles in reducing sugary drink consumption, which may include minimal taxation on sweetened beverages and lax government regulation. Furthermore, limited access to clean drinking water can intensify this issue, according to Lara-Castor.
As she highlighted, it becomes challenging for individuals to reduce their intake of sweetened beverages when faced with pervasive advertising and readily available low-cost options, coupled with pushback from the industry that undermines efforts to cut sugary beverage consumption.
