Global Study Links Millions of Diabetes and Heart Disease Cases to Sugary Drinks

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

A new study from researchers at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, published in Nature Medicine, estimates that 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease occur each year globally due to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Sugary beverages are rapidly digested, causing a spike in blood sugar levels with little nutritional value. Regular consumption over time leads to weight gain, insulin resistance, and a host of metabolic issues tied to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the world’s leading causes of death.

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

As countries develop and incomes rise, sugary drinks become more accessible and desirable, the authors say. Men are more likely than women to suffer the consequences of sugary drink consumption, as are younger adults compared to their older counterparts, the researchers say.

The study’s authors call for a multi-pronged interventional approach, including public health campaigns, regulation of sugary drink advertising, and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-global-links-millions-diabetes-heart.html