Sugar-containing beverages are more than just drinking to satisfy sweets. They are exacerbating the global health crisis. A major global study linked consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, sweet juice and energy drinks to a wide range of cases of type 2 diabetes and heart disease from people in 184 countries. The motivation for this work comes from a steady increase in sugary beverage intake around the world and a clear link to long-term disease. Although the health effects of these beverages have been known for some time, this is the most complete situation in which they have had their impact on people across different backgrounds and regions.
Dr. Laura Lara and Professor Dariush Mozaffarian of Tufts University led the international research effort. Their results were published in the Journal of Medical Sciences. The researchers used detailed food and beverage survey data from the global diet database, large amounts of nutrition data from around the world, and advanced statistical techniques, a method that uses mathematics to carefully estimate the results to estimate how many new new cases of type 2 diabetes and heart disease are associated with sugar content in 1990 and 2020. Rural areas.
In 2020 alone, sugary beverages are linked to new cases of type 2 diabetes and heart disease worldwide. This means that these drinks are the main factor in about one in ten new diabetes diagnosis, with thirty new diabetes diagnoses that year. Men, young people and those living in cities are particularly affected. In Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, the highest consumption levels are associated with sugary beverages with nearly a quarter of all new diabetes cases. In some countries, sugary beverages lag behind nearly half of new diabetes diagnosis.
Dr. Laura and Professor Mozaffarian found that health problems in sub-Saharan Africa have the fastest growth, which was caused by sugary beverages between 1990 and 2020. This increase is associated with an increasing number of people living in cities and gaining more education, which is often a sign of health. “Our study highlights the impact of countries and subpopulations (specific groups in the population) by diseases associated with sugary alcohol consumption, helping to guide better policies and actions to reduce health risks around the world,” Professor Mosaffar said.
This global snapshot also reveals serious inequality: while wealthy countries have made little progress in reducing the harm of sugary beverages (thanks to consumption and strong health policies), the harm of developing countries has seen the opposite trend. In urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa, one-third of new diabetes cases among higher education adults are associated with sugary beverage intake. This discovery challenges the notion that education alone is sufficient to protect people from unhealthy food and beverage habits.
By identifying which regions and populations are most at risk, the study provides a roadmap for focused solutions. These include stronger actions such as taxes on sugary beverages, advertising restrictions on children, and public awareness campaigns. The public awareness campaign is an organized effort to use media and events to educate people about issues. But researchers warn that simply teaching people about the dangers of sugary drinks is not enough. “Given the higher intake and health effects of educated adults in many parts of the world, general education alone cannot effectively reduce consumption of sugary beverages,” Dr. Laura said.
The effects of supplementing sugary beverages have become particularly urgent as countries set key health goals for the United Nations, such as reducing preventable diseases and improving health equality. Preventable diseases are diseases that can usually be avoided through healthier habits or early treatment. This study not only shows the severity of the problem, but also provides leaders and government with reliable information to develop policies that can truly change public health.
Journal Reference
Lara-Castor L., O’Hearn M., Cudhea F., Miller V., Shi P., Zhang J., Sharib J., Sharib J., Cash SB, Barquera S., Micha R., Mozaffarian D., “The burden of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages in 184 countries.” Nature Medicine, 2025; 31(2): 552–564. doi:
About the Author
Dr. Laura Lara-Castor is a public health researcher focusing on global nutrition and diet-related diseases. Her work is affiliated with institutions such as Tufts University and the Institute for Health Indicators and Assessment, and her work centers on understanding how dietary patterns create significant health burdens worldwide. She plays a leadership role in the Global Diet Database project, which compiles food intake data from various countries to support evidence-based health strategies. Dr. Lara-Castor’s research aims to make nutrition science more accessible to policies and public health programs.
Professor Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist and public health expert at Tufts University, where he leads the Food IS Medicine Institute. His research covers nutrition, policy, and chronic disease prevention. He is a leading voice in global health, and he advocates the use of food-based solutions to reduce diet-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. His work often bridges science and policy to influence national and international efforts to improve dietary health.
