Sugary drinks tied to millions of diabetes, heart disease cases, study says
NEW YORK, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption accounts for about 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of heart disease worldwide annually, a new study indicates.
The study was published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.
Rapid digestion of sugary beverages leads to a spike in blood sugar levels with minimal nutritional value. Over time, regular intake results in weight gain, insulin resistance and a host of metabolic issues related to type 2 diabetes and heart disease -- two leading causes of death globally, the researchers noted.
"Understanding the health harms of sugar-sweetened drinks, in every country around the world and in population subgroups within each nation, is critical to inform the need for targeted actions," the study's senior author, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, told UPI.
"Our results highlight the scope of this national and global public health crisis. Members of the public, industry and governments appropriately pay attention and take priority actions when a handful of citizens die from food poisoning," said Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston.
"We find that sugar-sweetened beverages are causing far greater harms -- yet with relatively little response," he added. "It's time to recognize and act to address this tragic preventable suffering."
In developing countries, the case counts are especially disconcerting, researchers found.
Sugar-sweetened beverages gave rise to more than 21% of new diabetes cases in Sub-Saharan Africa. And for Latin America and the Caribbean, they contributed to almost 24% of new diabetes cases and more than 11% of new cases of cardiovascular disease.
In Colombia, more than 48% of all new diabetes cases were due to sugary-drink consumption, and this intake had a link to nearly one-third of all new diabetes cases in Mexico. The consumption also was tied to 27.6% of new diabetes cases and 14.6% of cardiovascular disease in South Africa.
In low- and middle-income nations, people are already in a worse position to mitigate long-term health consequences, Mozaffarian said.
As countries develop and incomes increase, accessibility and desirability of sugary drinks rises, the researchers said. Men are more likely than women to endure the consequences of consuming these beverages, as are younger adults compared to their older counterparts, they added.
The researchers advocated for public health campaigns, regulation of sugary beverage advertising and taxes on these drinks. Some nations have made monumental strides.
Mexico -- home to one of the world's highest per capita rates of sugary drink consumption -- implemented a tax on these beverages in 2014. So far, this has helped decrease consumption, especially among lower-income people.
Support for this research came from the Gates Foundation, the American Heart Association, and the National Council for Science and Technology in Mexico.
Other experts commended the researchers for examining the impact of sugary drinks on the top causes of global mortality.
"It's well known that sugar-sweetened beverages are risk factors for obesity and insulin resistance that ultimately can lead to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Brian Burtch, an endocrinologist at University Hospitals in Cleveland. He was not involved in the study.
Burtch noted that "regulations on marketing, taxes and warning labels are potential steps to help the public fully understand the dangers of sugar-sweetened beverages."
These beverages promote excess weight gain, which is primarily responsible for chronic disease risk, said Heidi Silver, a registered dietitian and research professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
"The novelty of this large comprehensive study is estimating the disease risk associated with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption across 184 countries using the Global Dietary Database," said Silver, who also is director of the Vanderbilt Diet, Body Composition, and Human Metabolism Core.
Substitutions for sugary drinks include sugar-free flavored or sparkling water, unsweetened fruit juice, tea, coffee, milk and nondairy alternatives, Burtch and Silver said.
"The study highlights a preventable driver of chronic disease that significantly strains healthcare systems and affects quality of life," said Dr. Partho Sengupta, chief of cardiac services at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J.
"By understanding the specific populations and regions most affected, stakeholders -- including policymakers, healthcare providers and the public -- can better address this global health challenge," Sengupta said.
