The consumption of sugary beverages has long been associated with an increased risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and even cancer. A new study published in the journal Circulation now suggests that sugary beverages may be responsible for 184,000 adult deaths around the globe each year.
Researchers examined data involving sugary beverage consumption (sodas, sports and energy drinks, fruit drinks, homemade sugary beverages, and sweetened ice tea) from 62 surveys taken in more than 51 countries between 1980 and 2010. Their main area of focus was the impact of consumption on deaths caused by diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
According to the findings, sugar consumption was the main cause of an estimated 184,450 deaths around the world, with diabetes leading to 133,000 deaths, cardiovascular disease leading to 45,000 deaths, and cancer leading to 6,450 deaths.
This is concerning, because in a 2011 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers discovered that women were consuming approximately 103 calories from sugary drinks a day, and men consumed 178 calories daily from sugary drinks—when added up, that’s well over the American Heart Association’s recommendation to consume a maximum of 450 calories from sugar-sweetened drinks for the whole week.
In fact, out of the top 20 populated countries included in the study, the U.S. had the second highest number of deaths related to sugary drinks, with 125 deaths per million American adults.
The study’s authors stress that these findings emphasize the need to better manage the consumption of sugary drinks, as they provide no health benefits, and eliminating them from the diet can potentially prevent tens of thousands of deaths every year.
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Source for Today’s Article:
Whiteman, H., “Sugary drink consumption ‘may lead to over 184,000 global deaths each year’,’” Medical News Today web site, June 30, 2015; http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/296035.php.