Political measures required Sweet drinks are to blame for one in ten cases of diabetes

Sweet drinks are the cause of one in ten cases of diabetes worldwide. In Switzerland, too, the consumption of soft drinks, lemonades and energy drinks was responsible for 10.5 percent of cases.

Keystone-SDA

06.01.2025, 21:30

SDA

Sweet drinks are responsible for one in ten cases of diabetes worldwide, as a new study in the journal "Nature Medicine" shows. Political measures are therefore urgently needed, the international research team emphasized.

For the study, the researchers used data from 184 countries from the "Global Dietary Database" and other surveys and studies, as well as a special model that takes into account various factors such as average consumption and health risks.

They calculated that in 2020, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease worldwide were attributable to sugary drinks. This corresponds to 9.8 percent of all new cases of type 2 diabetes and 3.1 percent of all new cases of cardiovascular disease.

Switzerland comparable with other European countries

In Switzerland, the consumption of soft drinks, lemonades and energy drinks was responsible for 3,750, or 10.5 percent, of cases of type 2 diabetes, as first author of the study Laura Lara-Castor from Tufts University in Boston (USA) announced at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. The researchers attributed 3.1 percent of all new cases of cardiovascular disease in Switzerland to sweet drinks, the same proportion as worldwide.

This means that the figures in Switzerland are comparable with those from other European countries such as Germany, Austria, Spain and Sweden.

Commercial interests and water shortages

The researchers calculated significantly higher figures for Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. According to the study, almost a quarter (24.4 percent) of all diabetes cases in Latin America were caused by sugary drinks, and 21.5 percent in sub-Saharan Africa. The front runner is Colombia. According to the study, almost half (48.1%) of all diabetes cases in Colombia in 2020 are attributable to the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

These countries also lead the way in per capita consumption of sweet drinks. In the study, the researchers cite the commercial interests of multinational and local sweet drinks manufacturers as "likely drivers" for the high consumption of sweet drinks. These companies promote the consumption of their products through targeted marketing and at the same time block political measures to reduce consumption.

According to the researchers, the lack of clean drinking water in countries such as Mexico and Colombia also exacerbates the problem, as sweet drinks are often consumed as a substitute.

Westernization of the diet

Between 1990 and 2020, the proportion of diabetes cases attributable to sweet drinks increased by 1.3% worldwide. According to Lara-Castor, a slight increase (0.6 percentage points) was also recorded in Switzerland. The incidence of cardiovascular diseases caused by sweet drinks has remained stable globally during this period, and has even fallen by 0.1 percentage points in Switzerland.

However, the researchers found major differences depending on the region. The increase was strongest in sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of cases of type 2 diabetes caused by sweet drinks rose by 8.8 percentage points, and that of cardiovascular diseases by 4.4 percentage points.

The scientists attribute this to a "change in diet". Traditional, often healthier diets have shifted in this and other regions towards more Western-style diets, which are rich in processed foods, sugar and fats.

Measures required

According to the researchers, effective political measures are needed to reduce the sale and consumption of sweet drinks and the associated health problems.

In addition to taxes on sweet drinks, the study proposes mandatory labeling, regulation of the marketing of sweet drinks and improvements to the drinking water supply.

Over 200 institutions worldwide were involved in the international study - including the University Hospitals of Geneva and Lausanne in Switzerland.