Sugary drinks have been in the spotlight for years. Different investigations have linked its habitual consumption with a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and even cancer. Now, a new study by 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 diseases worldwide due to the consumption of sugary drinks.
The number of cases is particularly alarming in developing countries. The study found that in sub-Saharan Africa, sugary drinks contributed to more than 21% of all new cases of diabetes. In Latin America and the Caribbean, they were behind almost 24% of new cases of this disease and more than 11% of new cases of cardiovascular diseases.
Colombia, Mexico and South Africa They are countries that have been especially affected. More than 48% of all new cases of diabetes in Colombia were attributed to the consumption of sugary drinks. Almost a third in the case of Mexico. In South Africa, 27.6% of new cases of diabetes and 14.6% of cases of cardiovascular diseases were related to its intake.
Sugary drinks are digested quickly, causing a sudden increase in blood sugar levels and little nutritional value. Its regular consumption over time causes weight gain, insulin resistance and a series of metabolic problems related to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the main causes of death in the world.
«Sugary drinks are intensively marketed and sold in low and middle income countries. These communities not only consume harmful products, but are also often less prepared to deal with the long-term health consequences,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, lead author of the article and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School.
According to the authors, as countries develop and incomes increase, sugary drinks become more accessible and desirables. Men are more likely than women to suffer the consequences of consuming these types of products, as are younger adults compared to older ones.
“We need urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb the consumption of sugary drinks globally, before their effects on diabetes and heart disease shorten even more lives,” warns Laura Lara-Castor, first author of the article, who obtained his PhD at the Friedman School and now works at the University of Washington.
The authors of the study call for the adoption of a strategy that includes public health campaigns, the regulation of advertising of sugary drinks and the imposition of taxes on these products. Some countries have already taken steps in this direction. Mexico, which has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of sugary drinks in the world, introduced a tax on these drinks in 2014. Early data indicate that the tax has been effective in reducing consumption, particularly among people in low income.
“Much more needs to be done, especially in Latin American and African countries where consumption is high and the health consequences are serious,” says Mozaffarian, who is also the Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition at the Friedman School.
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