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Sugary drinks tied to 184,000 deaths annually worldwide
Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to 184,000 deaths per year worldwide, primarily from diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to research in Circulation.
In an analysis of national surveys and food availability data and a meta-analysis of pooled cohort studies and disease-specific mortality data from around the world, researchers also found that the consumption rate of sugary drinks varied greatly from country to country and between sexes and age ranges, with young adult males from Latin America and the Caribbean consuming the most and at greatest risk for disease and death.
“Many countries in the world have a significant number of deaths occurring from a single dietary factor, sugar-sweetened beverages,” Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University in Boston, said in a press release. “It should be a global priority to substantially reduce or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet.”
Dariush Mozaffarian
Mozaffarian, Gitanjali M. Singh, PhD, also from Tufts University, and colleagues analyzed data from 62 national dietary surveys from 51 countries, along with data on the national availability of sugar in 187 countries, and measured the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages on BMI, diabetes and related diseases by pooling large prospective cohort studies. Researchers obtained disease-specific mortality data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors 2010 Study.
They found the mean global consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adults was 0.58 servings per day. Also, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may have been the cause of 184,000 deaths globally, with 133,000 deaths from diabetes (72.3%), 45,000 deaths from CVD (24.2%) and 6,450 deaths from cancer (3.5%).
In addition, half of all deaths attributable to sugary-sweetened beverages were in women and 76% of all deaths occurred in low- or middle-income countries.
The researchers noted that sugar-sweetened beverages are only one factor in the obesity epidemic, which also is related to consuming other sugars, refined carbohydrates, low physical activity and environmental and genetic factors.
“In light of this, the number of sugar-sweetened beverage-related deaths is considerable given that it is only a single component of diet,” the researchers wrote.
In a clinical perspective accompanying the research, Singh said the study revealed geographic variations, with the largest burdens in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the smallest burdens in East Asia.
Young adults, particularly young men, were disproportionately affected, she said.
“In Mexico, 1 in 3 diabetes and obesity-related deaths in men under age 44 were attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages, and in the U.S., 1 in 10 such deaths,” Singh wrote in the perspective. “Given a dramatic inverse gradient between age and sugar-sweetened beverage intake in most countries, future health burdens could be even higher as younger populations age.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: Mozaffarian reports receiving travel reimbursement and/or honoraria from Bunge and Haas Avocado Board, and consulting fees from Amarin, AstraZeneca, Boston Heart Diagnostics, GOED, the Life Sciences Research Organization, and Nutrition Impact. He also is a member of the Unilever North America Scientific Advisory Board. The other researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.