WeeklySA_AdminINCIDENCE: Research reveals the grave health impact of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages, with South Africa among three countries worst-hit…
By WSAM Reporters
A total of 2.2 million new cases of Type 2 Diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of heart disease occur each year globally due to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, with South Africa, Colombia and Mexico the hardest-hit.
This has been revealed by a new study conducted by researchers at the Gerald J and Dorothy R Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at United States’ Tufts University, and published in Nature Medicine on January 6. It found that sugar-sweetened beverages contributed to more than 21 percent of all new diabetes cases were in sub-Saharan Africa
Colombia, Mexico, and South Africa are countries that have been particularly hard-hit, the study revealed. More than 48 percent of all new diabetes cases in Colombia were attributable to consumption of sugary drinks.
In South Africa, 27.6 percent of new diabetes cases and 14.6 percent of cardiovascular disease cases were attributable to sugary drink consumption. Nearly one third of all new diabetes cases in Mexico were linked to sugary drink consumption
In Latin America and the Caribbean, sugary drinks contributed to nearly 24 percent of new diabetes cases and more than 11 percent of new cases of cardiovascular disease, according to the study.
Sugary beverages are rapidly digested, causing a spike in blood sugar levels with little nutritional value. Regular consumption over time leads to weight gain, insulin resistance, and a host of metabolic issues tied to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the world’s leading causes of death.
“Sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily marketed and sold in low- and middle-income nations. Not only are these communities consuming harmful products, but they are also often less well equipped to deal with the long-term health consequences,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, senior researcher on the paper and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School.
As countries develop and incomes rise, sugary drinks become more accessible and desirable, the researchers say. Men are more likely than women to suffer the consequences of sugary drink consumption, as are younger adults compared to their older counterparts, the researchers say.
“We need urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally, before even more lives are shortened by their effects on diabetes and heart disease,” says Laura Lara-Castor, first researcher of the paper who earned her document at the Friedman School and is now at the University of Washington.
The researchers called for a multi-pronged approach, including public health campaigns, regulation of sugary drink advertising, and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages. Some countries had already taken steps in this direction. Mexico, which has one of the highest per capita rates of sugary drink consumption in the world, introduced a tax on the beverages in 2014.
Early evidence suggested that the tax had been effective in reducing consumption, particularly among lower-income individuals.
“Much more needs to be done, especially in countries in Latin America and Africa where consumption is high and the health consequences severe,” says Mozaffarian, who is also Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition at the Friedman School. “As a species, we need to address sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.”
In April 2018, the South African government, in response to a recommendation of the World Health Organization, introduced a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages known as the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) in an attempt to reduce sugar intake and to curb obesity in the country.
However, the jury is still out on whether this sugar tax alone will be enough to combat obesity, which is regarded as one of the risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.
Among the unconvinced are registered dietitians and key industry role-players (KIRs), according to a study by researchers from the Division of Human Nutrition and the Centre for Statistical Consultation at Stellenbosch University.
The Stellenbosch University researchers advised that more should be done to educate South Africans about the goal of the sugar tax and to create a supportive environment to improve their overall health and nutritional status.
“Consumers’ lack of knowledge as well as their habitual purchasing of sugary drinks were regarded as key barriers to the successful implementation of the HPL,” said the researchers.
In South Africa, according to Statistics South Africa, diabetes is the second leading cause of death after tuberculosis, with an estimated 12 percent of the adult population affected by the condition.
In 2023, the direct cost of diabetes to South Africa’s health system stood at R2.7 billion (more than US$150 million) – and that is only for those patients who are diagnosed. It does not factor in the indirect costs of loss of jobs and income.
The SA Demographic Health Survey data from 2016, the most recent study, found that 67 percent of all men and women were “pre-diabetic” and suggested that a “large portion” of South Africans remained undiagnosed, and therefore untreated.
Untreated or badly controlled diabetes can result in amputations, kidney failure and blindness. Many of these same individuals also have high blood pressure and end up with stroke as a result of brain haemorrhage.
Obesity is known to be linked to diabetes – and rates of obesity and overweight people, too, are increasing relentlessly. Current rates of obesity in South Africa were 11 percent among men (with another 20.3 percent overweight), and 41 percent among women (with another 26.6 percent overweight). At this rate it is expected that 50 percent of South African women will be obese by 2030.
Both obesity and diabetes are known to be triggered by over-consumption of sugar. Liquid sugar is known to be particularly harmful and has no nutritional value. – Additional reporting by The Conversation
