A new study has found that children and teenagers around the world are drinking more sugary beverages than ever before.
The research, conducted by the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, reveals that on average, young people consumed nearly 23% more sugar-sweetened drinks in 2018 than they did in 1990.
This increase is particularly noticeable among teenagers, children living in cities, and those whose parents have lower levels of education.
The study, published in The BMJ, analyzed dietary habits from 185 countries using data from the Global Dietary Database, which tracks what people eat and drink globally.
The researchers looked at sugary drinks, including sodas, juice drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, and homemade sweetened beverages like aguas frescas, that contain more than 50 calories per one-cup serving.
Importantly, the study did not include 100% fruit juices, artificially sweetened drinks, or sweetened milk.
On a global scale, children and teenagers aged 3 to 19 years consumed an average of 3.6 servings of sugary beverages per week. However, this average varied significantly depending on the region. For example, young people in South Asia had the lowest average intake at 1.3 servings per week, while those in Latin America and the Caribbean had the highest, averaging 9.1 servings per week. In 56 countries, representing 238 million young people or 10% of the global youth population, children and teens drank 7 or more servings of sugary beverages each week.
Among the world’s most populous countries, Mexico had the highest average weekly intake of sugary drinks among youth at 10.1 servings, followed by Uganda (6.9), Pakistan (6.4), South Africa (6.2), and the United States (6.2). Over the period from 1990 to 2018, Sub-Saharan Africa saw the largest increase in sugary drink consumption among youth, with the average number of servings per week rising by 106% to 2.17 servings.
The lead author of the study, Laura Lara-Castor, emphasized the potential long-term health risks of this trend. “Sugary beverages contribute to weight gain and increase the risk of obesity,” she said. “Although children may not develop serious health problems like diabetes or heart disease right away, these habits can have significant impacts later in life. This study highlights the need for early education and policy changes to prevent these negative outcomes.”
In response to rising sugary drink consumption, many governments have introduced measures such as soda taxes and restrictions on selling sugary drinks in schools. However, these efforts face challenges from aggressive marketing by the beverage industry and the global spread of unhealthy food and drink options.
The senior author of the study, Dariush Mozaffarian, called for urgent action: “Our findings should raise alarm bells in almost every country. The increasing consumption of sugary drinks is a serious public health threat that we must address to ensure a healthier future for the next generation.”
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