180 000 deaths a year are related to the abuse of sugary soda drinks

March 20, 2013

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According to a study presented at the Scientific Sessions 2013 on Epidemiology, Prevention / Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism of the American Heart Association, “Sugary drinks soda, sport and fruit juices may be associated with about 180,000 deaths in the world each year.”

Sugary drinks are consumed worldwide and contribute to overweight, which increases the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. With data collected in 2010 for the Study of the Global Burden of Disease, the researchers linked the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages to 133,000 deaths from diabetes, 44,000 cardiovascular disease deaths and 6,000 cancer deaths.

Gitanjali M. Singh, co-author and postdoctoral researcher at the School of Public Health Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) explained that “78 percent of these deaths were due to excess consumption of sugary drinks were in low-and middle-income rather than high-income countries. In America, our research shows that around 25,000 deaths in 2010 were related to consumption sugary drinks.”