A new study says the overconsumption of sugary drinks results in millions of cases of diabetes and heart disease worldwide each year.
The findings, published on January 6, 2025, in the journal Nature Medicine, showed that in 2020, an estimated 2.2 million new cases of diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of heart disease worldwide were attributed to sugar-sweetened beverages.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, sugary drinks were identified as the source of nearly a quarter of all diabetes cases in 2020. In Mexico, almost one-third of new diabetes cases were linked to sugary drinks; in Colombia, the findings were even more dramatic, with nearly half of all new diabetes cases resulting from sugary drink consumption.
Drinks laden with sugar, like soda, can be quickly consumed and digested, leading to a spike in blood sugar levels. Regularly drinking them can result in weight gain over time, insulin resistance, and other metabolic issues that are linked to type 2 diabetes.
Last year, The Dallas Express reported that a study published in the journal Science found that limiting sugar early in life could reduce the chance of type 2 diabetes by 35% and high blood pressure by 20%. In a previous study, sugar intake was found to be associated with higher chances of developing cancer.
In 2023, The Dallas Express published an article titled “What Are the Worst Drinks for Your Health?” Among all the types of harmful beverages listed was a commonality: sugar. Each drink, from sweetened cocktails to pre-workouts to iced coffee drinks, was highlighted for the typically outsized serving of sugar they deliver.
That same year, Dunkin’ Donuts was in the hot seat after a TikTok video created by Bobby Parrish went viral, showing the nutritional information of the coffee and donut company’s then-new pumpkin-flavored frozen coffee drink. A large version of the product was said to contain 930 calories and 185 grams of sugar. For context, that equates to 46 teaspoons of sugar, the same amount you would find in more than a dozen glazed donuts, said Parrish.
A study that came out last year says that the number of people who have diabetes may be severely undercounted. According to the findings, over 800 million adults worldwide have the condition, almost twice as many as previously thought.
It is estimated that almost 1 in 6 adults in the U.S. now have diabetes.