Dietary survey data shows differences based on region and age, say researchers at Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
The decision to reach for a sugary beverage is heavily influenced by where you live, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy researchers report in a new study published October 3 in the journal Global Dietary Database—which aggregates hundreds of survey results about what people eat and drink—also revealed a relationship between sugary beverages and socio-economic status. Between 1990 and 2018, the largest increase in consumption was in Sub-Saharan Africa (+2.99; +81.9%). Intakes rose then fell in high-income countries, and decreased then increased in Latin America/Caribbean, both returning close to 1990 levels by 2018. Other world regions had more modest, steady increases over time. Similar patterns were observed by sex, age, education, and area of residence.
Underlying Causes and Future Research
While the study did not identify the reasons for these trends, the researchers hypothesize the changes could be related to the effectiveness of targeted marketing tactics from the soda and food industry, the association of Western diets with high status, as well as access to water. “Soda can reach the farthest places, and in countries where clean water is less accessible, these beverages might be the only thing available to drink at times,” says Lara-Castor.
“Sugar-sweetened beverage intake has increased in the past few decades despite efforts to decrease their appeal,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition at the Friedman School. “Some populations are especially vulnerable, and our findings provide evidence to inform the need and design of national and more targeted policies to reduce their intake worldwide.”
The researchers say more work is needed to assess sugary drink intake in children and adolescents, to measure the impact of soda taxes globally, and to better understand differences across each country’s subpopulations. The team also wants to explore how other sweet beverages, such as milk, coffees and teas, factor into consumption habits.
Reference: “Sugar-sweetened beverage intakes among adults between 1990 and 2018 in 185 countries” by Laura Lara-Castor, Renata Micha, Frederick Cudhea, Victoria Miller, Peilin Shi, Jianyi Zhang, Julia R. Sharib, Josh Erndt-Marino, Sean B. Cash, Dariush Mozaffarian and Global Dietary Database, 3 October 2023, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41269-8