A comprehensive study recently published in Nature Communications has revealed significant global trends in the consumption of sugary drinks, highlighting the influence of geographic location on dietary choices.
The analysis, which spans 28 years and covers 185 countries, shows a notable 16% global increase in the consumption of sweetened beverages.
The study is crucial as it sheds light on the public health implications of sugary drink consumption, strongly linked to obesity and cardiometabolic diseases—leading causes of death and disability worldwide.
To combat these health issues, many countries have implemented guidelines to limit added sugars to less than 5 to 10% of daily calories and have even taxed sodas, which offer no nutritional value.
Researchers analyzed data from the Global Dietary Database, focusing on sugar-sweetened beverages like soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices, punch, lemonade, and aguas frescas with over 50 calories per serving.
They found significant regional differences in consumption. For instance, in 2018, while the global average was 2.7 servings of sugary drinks per week, this varied from 0.7 servings in South Asia to 7.8 servings in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The study highlighted differences in consumption patterns based on gender, age, education level, and urban/rural residency, influenced heavily by regional factors.
For example, in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America/Caribbean, adults with higher education consumed more sugary beverages.
Conversely, in the Middle East/North Africa, those with lower education levels had higher consumption.
Countries with the highest weekly consumption included Mexico (8.9 servings), Ethiopia (7.1), the United States (4.9), and Nigeria (4.9), in stark contrast to India, China, and Bangladesh (0.2 each).
The study’s first author, Laura Lara-Castor, a PhD candidate at the Friedman School at Tufts University, emphasized the need for more effective interventions, including marketing regulations, food labeling, and soda taxes, to address these disparities.
The researchers also noted a relationship between sugary beverage consumption and socio-economic status.
The largest increase from 1990 to 2018 was in Sub-Saharan Africa (+81.9%), while high-income countries and Latin America/Caribbean saw fluctuations, returning to near 1990 levels by 2018.
The study hypothesizes that the rise in consumption could be tied to targeted marketing tactics, the perception of Western diets as high-status, and limited access to clean water in some regions. Lara-Castor pointed out the ubiquity of soda even in remote areas where clean water is scarce.
Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of nutrition at the Friedman School, highlighted the resilience of sugary beverage intake despite efforts to reduce their popularity, indicating the vulnerability of certain populations.
The research team plans to extend their study to assess sugary drink intake in children and adolescents, evaluate the global impact of soda taxes, and understand consumption differences within each country.
They also aim to explore the role of other sweetened beverages, such as milk, coffee, and tea, in global consumption habits.
This study provides essential insights for policymakers and public health officials worldwide to develop targeted strategies to reduce sugary drink intake and address related health issues.
If you care about wellness, please read studies about how ultra-processed foods and red meat influence your longevity, and why seafood may boost healthy aging.
For more information about wellness, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
The research findings can be found in Nature Communications.
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