Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Lead to Millions of New Diabetes, CVD Cases Yearly

Millions of new diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) cases each year around the globe can be attributed to sugar-sweetened beverages, according to new research published in the journal Nature Medicine.¹ The authors said targeted interventions that account for social inequities and align with global health objectives are needed, particularly in developing countries.

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Lead to Millions of New Diabetes, CVD Cases Yearly / elenvd - stock.adobe.com

The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has increased significantly around the globe in recent decades. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is known to increase the risk of certain diseases, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), CVD, and certain cancers.² This has become a major public health concern, and many countries have implemented policies that aim to curb the intake of these drinks.

READ MORE: Risk Factors, Impact of Hypoglycemia in Patients with Diabetes

“Sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily marketed and sold in low- and middle-income nations,” Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food is Medicine Institute and senior author on the study, said in a release.³ “Not only are these communities consuming harmful products, but they are also often less well equipped to deal with the long-term health consequences.”

A team of investigators from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University conducted a study to estimate the burdens of cardiometabolic diseases attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages and the changes over time by key sociodemographic factors. Data for the study was gathered from the Global Dietary Database, an ongoing collaborative effort to produce reliable estimates of dietary intake across the world.

Using the data from the database, researchers estimated T2D and CVD burdens that could be attributed to sugar-sweetened beverages across 184 countries in 1990 and 2020. Sugar-sweetened beverages were defined as any beverage with added sugars and 50 kcal or more per 8 oz serving. This included soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, punch, lemonade and aguas frescas. Drinks that were 100% fruit or vegetable juice were excluded.

The intake of sugar-sweetened beverages was collected from 450 surveys that were part of the Global Dietary Database, which included 2.9 million individuals from 118 countries. The study found that in 2020, adults consumed an average of 2.6 8 oz servings per week, with regional ranges from 0.7 in South Asia to 7.3 in Latin America and the Caribbean. Among the 30 most populous countries, intake ranged from 17.4 in Colombia and 9.6 in South Africa to 0.2 in India, China and Bangladesh.

An estimated 2.2 million new T2D cases and 1.2 million new CVD cases were attributable to the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages globally. The countries with the highest new T2D cases were Mexico, followed by Colombia and South Africa. The countries with the highest new CVD cases were Colombia, followed by South Africa and Mexico. Additionally, sugar-sweetened beverages were estimated to cause 80278 deaths from T2D and 257962 deaths from CVD.

“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,” Laura Lara-Castor, first author on the paper, said in a release.³

“Much more needs to be done, especially in countries in Latin America and Africa where consumption is high and the health consequence severe,” Mozaffarian added.³

READ MORE: Diabetes Resource Center

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References

1. Lara-Castor L, O'Hearn M, Cudhea F, et al. 5Global Dietary Database. Burdens of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages in 184 countries. Nat Med. 2025 Jan 6. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03345-4. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39762424.

2. Malik VS, Hu FB. The role of sugar-sweetened beverages in the global epidemics of obesity and chronic diseases. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2022 Apr;18(4):205-218. doi: 10.1038/s41574-021-00627-6. Epub 2022 Jan 21. PMID: 35064240; PMCID: PMC8778490.

3. Rafferty J. New Study Links Millions of Diabetes and Heart Disease Cases Globally to Sugary Drinks. News Release. Tufts Now. January 6, 2025. Accessed January 9, 2025. https://now.tufts.edu/2025/01/06/new-study-links-millions-diabetes-and-heart-disease-cases-globally-sugary-drinks