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In spite of the fact that many people choose to neglect the harmful effect sugar has on their health, this product is literally responsible for thousands of deaths every year.
People who drink sugary beverages are even more exposed to death risks because of the low nutritional value and the high content of calories comprised in these products. Natural fruit juice is no included in this category.
A new study reports that there are about 184,000 adults who die every year because of sugary drinks consumption.
Out of these, 133,000 deaths were linked to diabetes, 45,000 to cardiovascular disease and 6,450 to cancer.
What is even more worrying is the fact that young people, under 45, are more exposed to these risks because they are more inclined to consume such drinks.
“Many countries in the world have a significant number of deaths occurring from a single dietary factor, sugar-sweetened beverages. It should be a global priority to substantially reduce or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet,” said Dr. Dariush Mozzaffarian, who is the head of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston.
He further added that there are no health benefits associated to sugary drinks and that new regulation should be implemented to impose restrictions on the distribution of sugary drinks, especially to teenagers, who represent the largest category of consumers.
Dr. Mozzaffarian stated that fewer sugary drinks could save the lives of thousands of teens who are exposed to obesity and the risk of developing diabetes later in life.
The study looked at the data collected from 62 surveys related to dietary patterns. These surveys were carried out between 1980 and 2010 and involved almost 612,000 people from more than 50 countries.
The highest mortality rate associated with sugar was recorded in Mexico, with 405 deaths per million people, followed by the USA, with 125 deaths per million people. 75 percent of all deaths occurred in developed countries.
The study also revealed that young adults were more likely to develop chronic illnesses than young people were.
The study, whose results were published in the journal Circulation, warns people against the prolonged consumption of such sugary drinks, saying that the number of deaths might grow if preventive measures are not taken.
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