Soft drinks industry hits back after Harvard study links higher consumption of sugary drinks to early death

19 Mar 2019 --- New findings from a recent Harvard study claiming that a high consumption of sugary beverages is linked with increased risk of mortality, particularly from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to a lesser extent cancer, is being slammed by the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA). The UK trade body insists that this newly- published US research “fails to acknowledge key facts” and it reiterates that soft drinks are safe to consume, as part of a balanced diet.

Led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the large-scale study found that the more sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are consumed, the greater the risk of premature death. Compared with infrequent SSB drinkers, those who drank two or more servings per day of SSBs had a 31 percent higher risk of early death from CVD. Each additional serving per day of SSBs was linked with a 10 percent increased higher risk of CVD-related deaths, the study notes.

It also found that drinking one artificially sweetened beverage (ASB) per day instead of a sugary beverage lowered the risk of premature death. In contrast, drinking four or more ASBs per day was associated with an increased risk of mortality in women, according to the research, which involved researchers analyzing data from 80,647 women and from 37,716 men, answering questionnaires about lifestyle factors and health status every two years.

However, the BSDA has hit back at the findings, which have been published in the scientific journal Circulation, claiming that “they omit key points concerning the consumption of sugary soft drinks and the ongoing sugar reduction work within the sector.”

“Soft drinks are safe to consume as part of a balanced diet. The beverage industry recognizes it has a role to play in helping to tackle obesity which is why we have led the way in calorie and sugar reduction,” says BSDA Director-General Gavin Partington.

Excessive sugar consumption, much of which comes from soft drinks, is often blamed for public health issues including the childhood obesity crisis which is apparent in the UK, Europe, the US and elsewhere in the world. 

The “mindful” consumer is continuing to catalyze changes in the way that companies produce, package and label their products. There has been huge reformulation in recent years within the soft drinks sector to keep up the pace with a shift in preference towards healthier low- and no-sugar beverages. 

The UK government has set sugar reduction targets across a number of food and beverage categories, with the initial emphasis being on the soft drinks industry. This was also backed up in April 2018 which marked the introduction of the UK’s sugar tax which pushed up the price of SSBs across Britain. Under the government initiative, the industry is being challenged to reduce sugar and calories by 20 percent in everyday foods such as breakfast cereals, yogurts, pizzas and ready meals. 

“Soft drinks is the only category to have already hit Public Health England’s (PHE) calorie-reduction target of 20 percent by 2020,” stresses Partington. 

The Harvard findings come at a time where the sugar substitute market has been boosted by rising concern about obesity and other health issues including diabetes as well as government-imposed pressure that has thrown the spotlight on sugar consumption in global markets. 

“This study also claims association between diet drinks and increased risk of mortality. According to all leading health authorities in the world, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), low- and no-calorie sweeteners are safe,” adds Partington. 

“In March 2017, the UK Government and PHE publicly endorsed the use of low-calorie sweeteners as a safe alternative to reduce sugar in food and drink and help people manage their weight.”

After adjusting for major diet and lifestyle factors, the researchers concluded that the more SSBs a person drank, the greater the risk of early death from any cause increased. Compared with drinking SSBs less than once per month, drinking one to four sugary drinks per month was linked with a 1 percent increased risk; two to six per week with a 6 percent increase; one to two per day with a 14 percent increase; and two or more per day with a 21 percent increase. The increased early death risk linked with SSB consumption was more pronounced among women than among men, according to the findings. 

Previous studies have found links between SSB intake and weight gain and higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, although few have looked at the connection between SSB intake and mortality. Previous studies have also indicated that carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks are the single largest source of added sugars in many US diets. 

Research scientist in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and lead author of the study, Vasanti Malik, says the study provides further support to limit the intake of SSBs and to replace them with other beverages, preferably water, “to improve overall health and longevity.”

Last May, a group of scientists agreed that SSBs play a unique role in chronic health problems, elevating their calorie status to more harmful than calories from other foods and drinks. Earlier this year in February, an observational study published in an American Heart Association (AHA) journal, found that opting for artificially sweetened diet drinks two or more times per day could increase the risk of stroke by 23 percent, as well as raise the risk for other cardiovascular disease outcomes in postmenopausal women. 

Although SSB consumption in the US has declined over the past decade, there has been a recent uptick among adults, with intake levels from SSBs alone nearly exceeding the dietary recommendation for consuming no more than 10 percent of daily calories from added sugars. SSB intake is also on the rise in developing countries, spurred by urbanization and beverage marketing, according to the research. 

“These findings are consistent with the known adverse effects of high sugar intake on metabolic risk factors and the strong evidence that drinking SSBs increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, itself a major risk factor for premature death,” says Walter Willett, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. 

“The results also provide further support for policies to limit marketing of sugary beverages to children and adolescents and for implementing soda taxes because the current price of sugary beverages does not include the high costs of treating the consequences,” he adds. 

NutritionInsight has reached out to the American Beverage Association for its reaction to the latest study. 

By Gaynor Selby