Study: Sugary drinks tied to millions of new diabetes, heart disease cases

A new study has found that consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

In the study, published on Monday in the journal Nature, researchers found that certain beverages, including carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and juices with added sugar, are linked to 340,000 deaths each year from type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

This estimated death toll represents a significant increase from the 184,000 reported in 2015 by the journal Circulation.

The research also found that sugary drinks are associated with 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million cases of cardiovascular disease in 2020.

Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America are disproportionately affected, with a concentrated share of sugary drink-related deaths and diseases.

Dariush Mozaffarian, one of the study’s authors, said the two continents are mostly affected because they are “less well equipped” to deal with the effect of the sugary drinks.

“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,” he said.

Sugary drinks are rapidly digested, causing a spike in blood sugar levels with little nutritional value. Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages can lead to a range of health problems, including:

– Weight gain
– Insulin resistance
– Metabolic issues
– Type 2 diabetes
– Heart disease
– Premature death

Mozaffarian stressed the need for urgent action to curb the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, particularly in poorer and developing countries.

“Regulators and policymakers appropriately respond to tragic deaths, whether an airline crash or terrorism attack, but sugary drinks cause much more death and suffering, yet those deaths don’t move people in the same way because they are hidden. That has to change,” he added.

The study’s authors also called for a multi-pronged approach, including public health campaigns, regulation of sugary drink advertising, and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages.

The research is a product of the Global Dietary Database, an ambitious survey of the world’s eating habits funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

A 2019 study also showed that consumption of sugary drinks may increase the risk of cancer.