Why Millions of New Diabetes and Heart Disease Cases Linked to Sugary Drinks

A recent study published in the journal Nature has found that drinking sugary beverages like sodas, energy drinks, and sweetened juices can seriously increase the risk of getting type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The study links these drinks to about 340,000 deaths each year worldwide, a big increase from 184,000 deaths reported in 2015.

The 2020 data from the study shows that sugary drinks caused 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of heart disease. Areas like Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America are especially affected. These regions struggle more because they have less access to the necessary healthcare to deal with these health issues.

Health Risks and Urgent Need for Action

Dariush Mozaffarian, one of the researchers, pointed out that sugary drinks are heavily promoted and sold in poorer countries where there are fewer resources to handle the health problems they cause.

He explained that sugary drinks are quickly absorbed by the body, leading to spikes in blood sugar levels without providing any nutritional benefits. Regularly drinking these can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, and other serious health issues, including an increased risk of early death.

Mozaffarian emphasised the need for urgent action to reduce the consumption of these drinks. He suggested that the response should be as serious as the response to airline crashes or terrorist attacks because the health impact is so significant.

Recommended Measures and Public Health Campaigns

The study’s authors recommend a few actions to help, including public health campaigns to educate people, regulations to control advertising of sugary drinks, and taxes on these beverages to decrease their consumption.

This research is part of the Global Dietary Database project, which looks at eating habits worldwide and is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Another study from 2019 also found that sugary drinks might increase the risk of cancer.