Global health crisis: Sugar-sweetened beverages tied to millions of new diabetes and CVD cases

A new study finds that sugar-sweetened beverages were linked to 2.2 million new type 2 diabetes (T2D) cases and 1.2 million new cardiovascular disease (CVD) cases worldwide in 2020. The health issues were seen to disproportionately impact regions like Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. 

Researchers discovered that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was higher in men than women, younger than older adults, adults with higher education than those with lower education, and in cities versus rural areas.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are quickly consumed and digested because they are liquid, which leads to increased caloric intake, weight gain and decreased satiety, explain the authors. This leads to metabolic dysfunction, potentially leading to insulin resistance, hepatic fat deposition and cardiovascular events.

Regional findings 

The study in Nature Medicine looked at sugary beverage consumption across 184 countries in 1990 and 2020.

“The largest proportional T2D and CVD attributable burdens in 2020 were in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, and the largest increases from 1990 to 2020 were in sub-Saharan Africa,” details the paper. 

The study finds those with higher levels of education in Latin America and the Caribbean, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa also had high sugar-sweetened beverage-related health burdens.

Rising disease burdens

According to the study, absolute burdens were higher among middle-aged and older adults, while proportional burdens were higher among younger versus older adults in most regions of the world. 

The largest proportional T2D and CVD attributable burdens in 2020 were in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.The author’s previous study estimated that, in 2010, the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages was responsible for 184,000 global deaths. In 2020, they estimate the number to be 340,000. 

According to the study, reducing sugar-sweetened beverage intakes in these areas through general education alone is unlikely to be successful. Concerted multigenerational efforts may be needed to reverse these challenges.

Globally, the incidence of T2D caused by sugar-sweetened beverages rose by 1.3% between 1990 and 2020, while the incidence of CVD caused by sugar-sweetened beverages stayed constant (despite significant regional and national variations).

According to the authors, this increase was mostly caused by the commercial interests of local and international sugar-sweetened beverage manufacturers, who oppose legislative attempts to limit intakes and invest in marketing and supply chain initiatives to boost sales. Growing sugar-sweetened beverage-related health burdens may also result from inadequate access to safe drinking water.

The data on type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease came from the Global Dietary Database, stratified by age, sex, educational attainment and urbanicity.

However, the authors warn that their study does not prove cause and effect, and the findings may underestimate the full health burdens of sugar-sweetened beverages. Sugar-sweetened milk and 100% fruit juices are not included in the definition of sugar-sweetened beverages, and there is a lack of dietary data. 

In recent news, researchers suggest that increasing dark chocolate consumption may help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, experts who were not part of the research caution that due to its observational setup, it cannot determine a cause-and-effect relationship.

Other research suggests that a natural compound in olives can lower blood sugar levels and promote weight loss. 

Meanwhile, vaccination with Mycobacterium vaccae bacteria in mice following a high-fat and high-sugar diet prevented excessive weight gain and reduced increases in visceral adipose tissue.