According to a study, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease worldwide could be linked to consumption of soda, energy drinks, and other sugar-sweetened beverages in 2020. This is what an international research group reports in the magazine Nature Medicine.
Sugary drinks: not suitable for quenching thirst
A glass of Cola (250 ml) contains almost 27 grams of sugar: this is equivalent to almost 9 sugar cubes. Energy drinks, fruit drinks, and other soft drinks can also be sugar bombs. However, according to the study, more and more people are turning to these drinks, especially in Latin America and Africa.
It is known that sugar-sweetened drinks are not good for your health. The German Nutrition Society writes that these are not suitable as thirst-quenching drinks: “They contain a lot of sugar (approximately 80-100 g per liter) and therefore provide a lot of calories.”
The research group led by Laura Lara-Castor at Tufts University in the US has now calculated the health consequences of consuming sugary drinks in relation to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Lots of advertising in low and middle income countries
To do this, the team analyzed data from the Global Dietary Database: this database contains estimates on the consumption of sugary drinks based on nutritional surveys, as well as data on obesity and diabetes rates. The scientists used figures from the years 1990 to 2020 and combined data sets from 184 countries to calculate the probability of a connection between both factors.
According to this, in 2020, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease worldwide were attributable to sugary drinks. This would represent one in 10 new cases of type 2 diabetes and one in 30 new cases of cardiovascular disease.
The study found the highest proportion in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. As for individual countries, Colombia, Mexico and South Africa were particularly affected. According to the study, the more countries develop and incomes increase, the more accessible and desirable sugary drinks become.
More thirst for sweet drinks
For Germany, the study shows only a slight increase in diabetes deaths per million inhabitants between 1990 and 2020 attributable to the consumption of sugary drinks, compared to other countries. Regarding deaths from cardiovascular diseases, a decrease is even observed, as in the US and Great Britain.
According to the researchers’ data, almost 650 milliliters – or two large glasses – of these drinks were consumed weekly in Germany in 2020. This places Germany in the middle of the list of the 30 most populous countries among those studied. However, figures from the Economic Association of Non-Alcoholic Beverages (wafg) for 2023 suggest that soft drink consumption has increased again in the country.
Demand for a “soda tax”
As the authors themselves write, although their estimates are based on the best available data and educated guesses, they cannot provide evidence of cause and effect. Additionally, data for some countries is incomplete.
The research team also emphasizes that sugary drinks are digested quickly and raise blood sugar levels without having nutritional value. Regular consumption leads to weight gain, insulin resistance and various metabolic problems related to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the most common causes of death in the world.
Scientists demand, among other things, health campaigns, stricter rules for advertising such drinks and tax measures.
A “soft drinks tax” already exists in many countries, including Great Britain since 2018: this applies at the threshold of five grams of sugar per 100 milliliters. Manufacturers must then pay 18 pence (21 cents) per liter, and for 8 grams of sugar or more per 100 milliliters, 24 pence (28 cents) per liter applies.
Since then, not only has consumption decreased, but manufacturers have also reduced the sugar content. Also in Germany, consumer advocates and health experts regularly demand such a tax, although so far without success.
FEW (dpa, Nature Medicine)
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