Sugary drinks cause millions of cases of diabetes and heart disease every year
Kyiv • UNN
The study found that 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease and 2.2 million cases of diabetes occur annually due to the consumption of sugary drinks. The problem is particularly acute in developing countries.
Consuming sugary foods can be much more harmful to your health than you may realize. Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as sodas and energy drinks, are designed to be extremely enjoyable. But they are also fraught with danger: according to scientists, almost a third of new cases of diabetes are linked to sugary drinks.
Transmits UNN with reference to Science Alert.
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According to a new study led by researchers from Tufts University in the United States, approximately 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease and 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes develop worldwide each year because people consume sweetened beverages.
Although the overall consumption of sugary drinks has recently declined in some developed countries, the authors of the study note that carbonated beverages and their relatives remain a significant public health threat in most countries. Especially in developing countries.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily promoted and marketed in low- and middle-income countries. Not only do these communities consume unhealthy products, but they are often less prepared to deal with the long-term health consequences
The popularity of sweetened beverage consumption across the African continent: scientists have documented serious health risks
In South Africa, about 28% of new cases of diabetes and 15% of new cases of cardiovascular disease are associated with the consumption of sugary drinks, researchers report.
The study focuses on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), which the authors define as any beverage with added sugar that contains at least 50 kilocalories per 8-ounce serving. This includes commercial or homemade soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, punch, lemonade, and agua fresca.
Many of them can pose a health risk if consumed in excessive amounts, according to nutritionists.
More than million new cases of cardiovascular disease every year
The study obtained data on beverage consumption from the Global Beverage Database, including 450 surveys involving 2.9 million people from 118 countries.
The researchers combined these data and indicators of cardiometabolic disease into a comparative risk assessment based on previous studies of the physiological effects of sugary drinks.
It has been identified as the cause of 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease each year, as well as 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes.
The study also suggests that SSBs cause approximately 80,000 deaths from type 2 diabetes and 258,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease each year.
Highlighting the role of such sugary drinks can help turn the tide, explains the study's first author and nutritionist Laura Lara-Castor, a former PhD student at Tufts University in the United States.
We need urgent, evidence-based action to limit the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages worldwide before more lives are shortened by their impact on diabetes and heart disease
AddendumAddendum
Experts remind us that excessive consumption of sugar-rich foods, added sugars, and sugary drinks is a powerful combination for health: nutritionists recommend giving preference to natural foods that are rich in fiber and as little processed as possible.