1000/1000
Hot
Most Recent
This video is adapted from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03345-4
A recent study published in Nature Medicine revealed shocking statistics: In 2020, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular diseases worldwide were attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages, accounting for 9.8% and 3.1% of all incident cases, respectively.
Globally, the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, including carbonated beverages, juice drinks, energy drinks, and lemonade, has been on the rise. While some studies have linked these drinks to health risks such as weight gain and increased risk of type 2 diabetes, the overall health impact of sugary beverages has not been fully quantified on a global scale.
Researchers from the University of Washington and Tufts University utilized models and global dietary databases to estimate the burden of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases attributable to sugary drinks. By simulating the effects on populations in 184 countries, they found that in 2020, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular diseases were linked to these beverages.
Latin America and the Caribbean had the highest burden of type 2 diabetes related to sugary drinks, with 24.4% of cases in 2020 attributed to these beverages, far exceeding regions like Southeast Asia and East Asia (only 3.1%). The burden of cardiovascular diseases related to sugary drinks was also higher in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, with new cases accounting for 11.3% and 10.5%, respectively, while South Asia accounted for only 0.6%.
Additionally, men are generally more affected than women, and individuals with higher education levels and urban residents face greater risks.
From 1990 to 2020, the trends in diseases caused by sugar-sweetened beverages changed over time. Overall, the incidence of type 2 diabetes attributable to sugary drinks increased by 1.3%, while the incidence of cardiovascular diseases decreased by 0.1%. Sub-Saharan Africa saw the largest increases in proportions of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, with case numbers rising by 8.8% and 4.4%, respectively.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to approximately 340,000 deaths globally in 2020. Therefore, reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is crucial for improving health outcomes, especially among high-risk groups.