How soda raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease worldwide

The findings, published in Nature Medicine, are particularly worrying for developing countries, where sales of sodas and sugary juices are growing rapidly.

Source: Laura Lara-Castor et al, "Burdens of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages in 184 countries", Nature Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03345-4

In sub-Saharan Africa, sweetened beverages contribute to more than 21% of new cases of diabetes. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the rates are even higher: almost 24% of new cases of diabetes and over 11% of new cases of cardiovascular disease. Colombia, Mexico and South Africa are the most vulnerable. For example, nearly half (48%) of new cases of diabetes in Colombia are related to sugary drinks, in Mexico about one-third, and in South Africa 27.6% of new cases of diabetes and 14.6% of new cases of heart disease.

Constant consumption of sugary drinks causes a rapid spike in blood sugar levels and leads to obesity, impaired insulin sensitivity and other metabolic problems. These are the factors that increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease, the leading causes of death worldwide.

The paper's senior author, Dariusz Mozaffarian, notes that sweetened beverages are especially heavily promoted in low- and middle-income states. There, not only are there fewer opportunities for competent treatment of complications, but access to inexpensive "sweetened" products is higher and alternatives to a healthy diet are limited. The authors also found that men and young adults suffer the consequences of such a diet more often than women and older adults.

A comprehensive approach is needed to combat the problem: information campaigns about the dangers of soda, restrictions in advertising and taxes on sweetened drinks.

Mexico is an example of a country that has already introduced a tax on sweetened beverages and thanks to this has managed to reduce consumption, especially among low-income groups. According to scientists, this proves that a well-designed public policy can save millions of lives and protect the health of future generations.