According to research published in the journal Nature Medicine, sugar-sweetened drink consumption accounts for more than two million new cases of type two diabetes, and 1.2 million new cases of heart disease worldwide annually. Colombia, Mexico, the Caribbean and South Africa have some of the worst sweetened drink-related health problems. For instance, nearly 50% of all new diabetes cases in Colombia were attributable to the heavy intake of sugary drinks such as sodas, the study shows. Over time, regular consumption of this inexpensive and widely available liquid sugar leads to weight gain, insulin resistance and other metabolic issues related to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the world’s leading causes of death. The authors of the paper composed of a team of U.S. investigators stress that urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally are desperately needed.
References
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03345-4
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.
