Consumption of sugary drinks grows 16% in 28 years – 10/08/2023 – Balance and Health

The consumption of sugary drinks increased by almost 16% (15.9%) from 1990 to 2018 around the world, going from 2.4 servings per week to 2.7, according to a global study.

The rates, however, vary considerably between different regions, with Latin America and the Caribbean (7.8) and Sub-Saharan Africa (6.6) being the two locations with the highest consumption of sugary drinks, while Asia (0.7) has the smallest.

The study also revealed demographic trends, with men and young people aged 20 to 29 as the biggest consumers of sugary drinks on the planet. Regarding the place of residence (in urban or rural areas), in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, urban centers concentrate consumption, while in Central Africa and North Africa consumption is greater in rural areas.

Data from the Global Dietary Database survey, which received financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the American Heart Association, were published last Tuesday (3) in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Sugary drinks are classified as all non-alcoholic drinks in which free sugars are added — soft drinks, boxed juices, preparations with artificial fruit flavoring and other substances. The WHO (World Health Organization) and PAHO (the American arm of the WHO) recommend taxing sugary drinks as a way of reversing the increase in diseases linked to the consumption of these drinks, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and fatty liver.

However, only eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Chile and Peru, have their own legislation for taxing these drinks.

Among the most populous countries, those with the highest consumption during the study period were Mexico (8.9 servings per week), Ethiopia (7.1), USA (4.9) and Nigeria (4.9). In the same period, Brazil recorded a drop of approximately 40% in the consumption of sugary drinks (reaching the 4.4 mark in 2018), but researchers on the subject in the country report concern about the increase in consumption, especially among children and adolescents.

Studies show that sugary drinks can lead to the development of health problems, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity and cancer, in addition to cavities and oral diseases. These foods are generally poor in nutrients, but have strong advertising campaigns.

The increase in consumption of sugary drinks among young populations in African and lower-income countries is particularly worrying, according to research data.

According to the authors, the contrast observed between the richest countries analyzed, which had a stagnation in growth in consumption, and those with a lower GDP (gross domestic product), reveals how the level of social and economic development is related to the intake of sugary drinks.

Finally, they call for effective measures to reduce the consumption of such products, such as taxing beverages and monitoring consumption by age group and place of residence, to be implemented as public health policies.

“Many of the global and local efforts to reduce consumption have been undermined by strong industry lobbying, including disregard for the evidence produced so far and biased scientific studies financed by the industries themselves. Consumption of sweetened beverages has increased in 108 countries in 28 years, but Many of the policies implemented occurred after 2017, and their impacts could not be assessed in the short term”, they say.

“While our research showed that Latin America and the Caribbean had a high increase in consumption, there are important regional differences that must be taken into account to create targeted public policies in each country”, they conclude.