Fizzy and sugar-filled drinks could be to blame for one in six new cases of type 2 diabetes, analysis reveals
Fizzy and sugary drinks could be to blame for one in six new cases of type 2 diabetes.
Worldwide, 2.2 million people got type 2 diabetes because of sugary drinks in 2020, according to new analysis.
That was almost 10 per cent of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes globally.
But in the UK, researchers estimate more than 16 per cent of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2020 could blame unhealthy drinks.
Sugary drinks, like cola, lemonade and fashionable energy drinks, are drunk and digested quickly, unlike high-calorie food which takes longer to eat, and the drinks do not make people feel as full, according to researchers.
It means those who regularly drink them consume a lot of calories, and pile on weight, which hugely increases their odds of getting type 2 diabetes.
The new research, which looked at 184 countries in total, blames sugary drinks for more than 35,000 new cases of type 2 diabetes in the UK in 2020.
The drinks are also linked to more than 11,000 cases of cardiovascular disease in the UK in 2020.
The researchers looked at two types of cardiovascular disease – heart disease caused by blocked arteries and strokes caused by blood clots.
In the UK, researchers estimate more than 16 per cent of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2020 could blame unhealthy drinks (stock image)
The new research, which looked at 184 countries in total, blames sugary drinks for more than 35,000 new cases of type 2 diabetes in the UK in 2020 (stock image)
The researchers looked at two types of cardiovascular disease – heart disease caused by blocked arteries and strokes caused by blood clots (stock image)
Almost one in 20 cases of these types of cardiovascular disease in the UK in 2020 were judged to be caused by sugary drinks.
Researchers point out that, even after a tax on soft drinks was introduced in the UK in 2018, sales still went up, which may have been due to ‘marketing strategies’ by soft drink companies.
Dr Laura Lara-Castor, who led the study from Tufts University in the US, and is now at the University of Washington, said: ‘We need increased and aggressive efforts to reduce people’s consumption of sugary drinks, including restrictions on advertising such as that aimed at children, a crackdown on sugary drinks bring served in schools and workplaces, health warnings on bottles of drinks.‘
‘The UK could also consider a higher sugar tax so that companies further reduce the sugar in their drinks and people are less likely to buy sugary drinks.’
The analysis, published in the journal Nature Medicine, looked at the number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in each country in 1990 and 2020, and the likely proportion of people in each country who consumed sugary drinks based on studies which asked people about their diet.
Among the 30 most highly populated countries, the UK saw the 10th biggest risein the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes caused by sugary drink consumption in 2020 compared to 1990.
But it saw the largest fall in the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease linked to sugary drinks.
In the UK, almost one in 25 deaths from type 2 diabetes – the deaths of 227 people – were linked to people consuming fizzy and sugar-filled drinks.
Around one in 40 deaths from cardiovascular disease – more than 2,700 – were estimated to be caused by sugary drinks.
Among the 30 most highly populated countries, the UK saw the 10th biggest risein the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes (stock image)
Researchers point out that, even after a tax on soft drinks was introduced in the UK in 2018, sales still went up, which may have been due to ‘marketing strategies’ (stock image)
The estimates were possible because of previous studies tracking rates of illness and death in people who drank large amounts of sugary drinks.
The conclusions were particularly concerning in developing countries, with more than 21 per cent of all new type 2 diabetes cases in Sub-Saharan Africa linked to sugary drinks.
Drinks were given as the cause of almost half of all new type 2 diabetes diagnoses in Colombia, and nearly a third of those in Mexico.
Regular consumption of sugary drinks over time leads the body to regulate blood sugar less effectively, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, and is thought to cause inflammation in the body which hardens the blood vessels and can lead to heart problems.
The study attributes 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease seen globally in 2020 to sugar-sweetened drinks.
However the UK saw a large reduction in the number of cases of this disease linked to sugary drinks between 1990 and 2020.Professor Dariush Mozaffarian, senior author of the study, from Tufts University, said: ‘Sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily marketed and sold in low- and middle-income nations.
‘Not only are these communities consuming harmful products, but they are also often less well equipped to deal with the long-term health consequences.’
Globally, men, younger adults, more highly educated people and those in urban areas were found more likely to suffer the consequences of sugary drink consumption.
The study attributes 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease seen globally in 2020 to sugar-sweetened drinks (stock image)
Dr Lara-Castor said: ‘We need urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally, before even more lives are shortened by their effects on diabetes and heart disease.’
A Government spokesman said: ‘Diabetes can be debilitating, costing our economy and the NHS.
‘As part of our 10 Year Health Plan, this government is committed to shifting the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention.
‘The government is reviewing the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to ensure it remains effective in tackling obesity and other harms caused by a high sugar intake.’
