One in ten new cases of type 2 diabetes in the world can be attributed to the consumption of sugary drinks, according to a study published this Monday in the magazine Nature Medicinewhich has also found a correlation between this type of soft drinks and 1 in 30 new cases of cardiovascular disease.
For the study, based on model estimates in 184 countries until 2020, the researcher Laura Lara-Castor and his team analyzed the information from the World Dietary Database (Global Dietary Database), which incorporates estimates of sugary drink consumption based on individual-level dietary surveys, along with data on obesity and diabetes rates.
The researchers combined these data sets into a model to estimate the burdens of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease attributable to sugary drinks worldwide. By modeling these effects in the populations of 184 countries, the authors estimated that 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease were attributable to these drinks globally in 2020.
“Our study shows that around 3 million new cardiometabolic cases in 2020 were attributable to sugary drinks,” Lara-Castor explains to elDiario.es. “In addition, around 340,000 deaths were related to sugary drinks.”
The most affected countries
Although the consumption of sugary drinks (including soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks and lemonades) is increasing worldwide, the highest proportion of disease cases attributable to this cause was found in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean . Specifically, evaluating trends between 1990 and 2020, researchers found that sub-Saharan Africa experienced an 8.8% increase in diabetes and a 4.4% increase in cardiovascular diseases.
“We found a large variation by region of the world, from 24% of all cases of type 2 diabetes in Latin America and the Caribbean to only 3% of cases in Southeast and East Asia, explains the lead author. ”Interesting inequalities between population subgroups globally include, in general, greater burdens on men compared to women, between highly educated adults versus low educated adults, and between adults in urban areas versus adults in rural areas.”
The problem affects men more than women and adults with a high level of education compared to adults with a low level of education.
Laura Lara-Castor
— Researcher at Tufts University and lead author of the study
Although they remember that they are based on estimates with high uncertainty in countries where available data is limited, the authors assure that their data on the consumption of sugary drinks in economically developing regions reflect a change in diet towards the adoption of patterns more westernized foods. For this reason, they highlight the need for effective policies and interventions to regulate the sale and consumption of sugary drinks worldwide to reduce the impact of associated diseases.
“There are several policies in place that are beginning to give results,” says Lara-Castor. “These include taxes on soft drinks, marketing standards, front-of-package warning labels, sales restrictions and education campaigns.” However, remember, many of these efforts have been hampered by strong industry opposition, including aggressive advertising campaigns or price reductions.
“Therefore,” he concludes, “it is necessary to continue working to design, implement and evaluate these policies, adapting them as necessary, focusing on methods to reduce industry opposition and paying special attention to the places and population subgroups with the greatest loads and increases over time.”
Sugar on many fronts
Rafael Urrialde de Andrésprofessor at the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Nutrition Society, considers that these results are relevant, but remembers that it is an observational study, which does not establish causality. He also considers that the focus should be expanded to other products such as dairy drinks or cereals that also provide sugar. “Excess sugar consumption generates many health problems wherever it comes from,” he says.
Right now, in Europe sugar has been reduced in many products, and in Spain more than 50% of drinks are sugar-free
Rafael Urrialde de Andrés
— Professor at the UCM and member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Nutrition Society
In Urrialde’s opinion, the problem is worsening in many countries, especially on the American continent and also in Africa, because their dietary model is very far from the Mediterranean diet, which is the one that offers the best life expectancy. “When comparing more than 180 countries with such different behavioral models, the result is distorted,” he believes. “Right now, in Europe sugar has been reduced in many products, and in Spain more than 50% of drinks are sugar-free.”
“The article is impressive and shows very interesting results, although unfortunately known for a long time,” he says. Jesús Francisco García Gavilánresearcher at CIBERobn and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute. In his opinion, the study offers an especially valuable approach by covering a period of 30 years (1990-2020) and analyzing data from almost three million people, expanding existing knowledge and extending the problem beyond Western countries, to other countries. regions where a westernization effect is occurring.
Public health policies should take these types of studies into greater consideration and make proposals such as the use of specific dissuasive taxes on these drinks.
Jesús Francisco García Gavilán
— Researcher at CIBERobn and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute
“This work demonstrates the lack of public health policies appropriate to the improvement or prevention of diseases in the population,” asserts García Gavilán. “Public health policies should take these types of studies into greater consideration and make proposals that favor better health of the population, such as the use of specific dissuasive taxes such as that on sugary drinks in Catalonia, more effective and aggressive nutritional labeling and advertising restrictions for these foods during prime time to minimize consumption.”
The key continues to be in the information and education of consumers, adds Urrialde, and a good model to follow would be the labeling of sugary drinks that has been established throughout America, except in the United States. “We must continue carrying out food and nutritional education to reduce sugar consumption and change habits, and give more visibility to drinks and foods that do not have them,” he concludes.
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