According to a recent study, sugar-filled beverages cause more than 2.2 million instances of diabetes and 1.1 million cases of heart disease annually worldwide.
The study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine, fizzy and sugary drinks are responsible for up to one in six new occurrences of type 2 diabetes, or almost 10% of all cases.
According to the 184-country study, 35,000 instances of type 2 diabetes were caused by sweet drinks like cola and lemonade in the UK in 2020.
The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Laura Lara-Castor of Tufts University in Massachusetts, stated that “aggressive efforts” were required to deter people from consuming those drinks. These efforts included “health warnings on bottles of drinks, a crackdown on sugary drinks being served in workplaces and schools, and restrictions on advertising such as that aimed at children.”
“A greater sugar tax might also be considered in the UK to encourage corporations to further reduce the amount of sugar in their drinks and to discourage consumers from purchasing sugary drinks,” she continued. These days, Lara-Castor is employed at Washington University.
The study examined the overall number of people who had a cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes diagnosis between 1990 and 2020. The number of persons who drink sugary drinks was then estimated using data from previous studies.
Out of the world’s 30 most populous nations, Britain saw the tenth-largest increase in type 2 diabetes incidence brought on by sugary drink consumption.
But Britain also saw the largest decline in type 2 diabetes-related cardiovascular fatalities.
Scientists anticipate that in 2020, sugary drinks may be responsible for 1 in 25 type 2 diabetes deaths in Britain. However, such drinks may be responsible for 1 in 40 heart disease-related fatalities.
According to Lara-Castor, “before their consequences on diabetes and heart disease cut any more lives, we need urgent, evidence-based efforts to decrease consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally.”
-NSH Digidesk
