A study has found that the consumption of sugary beverages containing sugars such as sugar and fructose has increased globally, leading to a rapid rise in metabolic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, South Korea has been classified as a model country since the number of patients with metabolic diseases due to sugary beverages has hardly increased.
A research team led by Laura Lara-Castor, a professor at the University of Washington, along with researchers from the Global Dietary Database, announced on the 7th that approximately 10% of global type 2 diabetes patients and about 3% of cardiovascular disease patients developed these conditions due to sugary beverage consumption in 2020.
The Global Dietary Database is a big data project that collects dietary habit data from around the world. To date, data related to the dietary habits of over 29 million people has been collected. The data is classified based on a questionnaire containing 450 questions related to dietary habits, segmented by participants' age, gender, and residence.
The research team analyzed the Global Dietary Database to investigate the changes in metabolic disease patients, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, due to sugary beverage consumption in 184 countries worldwide from 1990 to 2020. They confirmed correlations by comparing changes in sugary beverage consumption and metabolic disease incidence rates by country.
As a result, in 2020, 2.2 million new type 2 diabetes patients and 1.2 million new cardiovascular disease patients were found to have developed their conditions due to sugary beverage consumption. This corresponds to 9.8% and 3.1% of the total patients, respectively. This indicates that excessive sugary beverage consumption is emerging as a major cause of metabolic diseases.
The greater issue is the significant disparity in the number of metabolic disease patients caused by sugary beverages across different regions. In developed countries, the number of metabolic disease patients has hardly increased due to active government measures to limit sugary beverages, whereas in developing countries, the consumption of sugary beverages and the number of metabolic disease patients have increased significantly.
Countries in South America and the Caribbean have seen a 24.4% increase in type 2 diabetes patients and an 11.3% increase in cardiovascular disease patients in 2020 compared to 1990. Similarly, sub-Saharan African countries in Central and South Africa have shown substantial changes, with a rise of 8.8% in type 2 diabetes patients and a 4.4% increase in cardiovascular disease patients during the same period.
In contrast, major countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have either seen a decrease in the number of metabolic disease patients or no significant change. South Korea also showed that the number of metabolic disease patients due to sugary beverage consumption did not increase significantly. The number of domestic type 2 diabetes patients due to sugary beverage consumption increased by about 100 per one million adults during this period, while the number of cardiovascular disease patients decreased by about 10.
The research team noted, "Countries with higher living standards have shown a tendency to reduce sugary beverage consumption, while low-income countries are experiencing increased consumption due to active corporate promotions. In some countries, the inability to access clean drinking water has led to a rapid increase in metabolic diseases, as sugary beverages are replacing drinking water."
The research team advised that governments around the world should take proactive measures to reduce the healthcare burden caused by the increase in metabolic disease patients. They said it is necessary to develop effective regulatory measures beyond merely educating about the dangers of sugary beverages, such as implementing taxes or restricting corporations' marketing.
Professor Castor stated, "It has been known that sugary beverage consumption negatively impacts health, but there has not been a comprehensive study on the global healthcare burden. Based on this research, health policies tailored to each nation and region should be developed."
The research findings were presented in the international academic journal Nature Medicine on this day.
References
Nature Medicine (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03345-4