• Posted January 8, 2025

Sugary Drinks Are To Blame for Millions of Diabetes, Heart Disease Cases Worldwide

Sugar-sweetened drink consumption accounts for more than 2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes, and 1.2 million new cases of heart disease worldwide annually.

According to new research published Jan. 6 in the journal Nature Medicine, people all over the world are impacted by this growing problem. Colombia, Mexico, and South Africa have some of the worst sugar sweetened-beverage (SSB) related health problems.

Nearly 50% of all new diabetes cases in Colombia were attributable to consumption of sugary drinks, the study shows.

In developing parts of the world, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, SSB contributed to more than 21% of all new diabetes cases, the study found. In Latin America and the Caribbean, they contributed to nearly 24% of new diabetes cases and more than 11% of new cases of cardiovascular disease.

“We need urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally, before even more lives are shortened by their effects on diabetes and heart disease,” study author Laura Lara-Castor, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington, said in a news release.

Why do sugary sweet drinks lead to so much damage?

The high-calorie beverages have very little nutritional value, are rapidly digested -- and can be consumed rapidly, well before feelings of fullness set in.

Over time, regular consumption leads to weight gain, insulin resistance, and other metabolic issues related to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the world’s leading causes of death.

What's more, SSB are inexpensive and widely-available. “Sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily marketed and sold in low- and middle-income nations," Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, study author and director of Tufts University's Food is Medicine Institute said in a news release issued by the school.

"Not only are these communities consuming harmful products, but they are also often less well equipped to deal with the long-term health consequences," Mozaffarian adds.

The public health trend is predictable. As countries develop and incomes rise, sugary drinks become more accessible and desirable, the authors emphasized.

Policy changes, such as soda taxes, may help slow the growing problem.

In parts of the U.S., scientists have shown the approach to be effective. Data from the Boston University School of Public Health demonstrated that when prices of sugar-sweetened beverages were increased in five U.S. cities, including Seattle and Philadelphia, consumption dipped.

More recent research showed that when tax on SSB was introduced in several California cities, beverage sales went down -- and so did the youth BMI average.

Taxes and other public health approaches could be effective in other countries too.

“Much more needs to be done, especially in countries in Latin America and Africa where consumption is high and the health consequence severe,” says Mozaffarian.

In addition to tactics such as taxing the beverages, the authors call for awareness-raising public health campaigns and regulation of sugary drink advertising.

In some parts of the world, SSB are something of a status symbol.

Lara-Castor told the New York Times that higher rates of consumption among educated adults in sub-Saharan Africa reflect, in part, the lure of sweetened beverage brands associated with Western tastes and style -- a result of advertising campaigns by multinational beverage companies.

More than 80 countries have adopted measures aimed at decreasing SSB consumption.

Reversing the trend may seem monumentally difficult, the authors say, but some countries are already seeing success from interventions.

Soda consumption in Latin America and the Caribbean is beginning to decline due to policies like soda taxes, marketing restrictions and product labels that seek to educate consumers about the dangers of products high in added sugar.

More information:

The American Heart Association offers tips to individuals looking to cut back on sugary drinks for health reasons.

SOURCE: Nature Medicine, journal, Jan. 6; Gerald and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, news release, Jan. 6; the New York Times.