Soda: Sugary Drinks Linked To 184,000 Deaths Annually

Researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts are examining the dangers of sugary drinks, which have resulted in 184,000 deaths each year worldwide. Furthermore, sugar-sweetened drinks were also linked to about 25,000 American deaths alone, according to recent findings published in the journal Circulation.

"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," Dariush Mozaffarian, senior author of the study and dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, said in a news release.

During their research, the study authors looked at 62 dietary surveys conducted between 1980 and 2010, including 611,971 individuals across a total of 51 countries, along with data on the national availability of sugar; this also included information on the direct impact that sugary beverages have on diabetes and its obesity-related effects on cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

Findings revealed that sugary drinks were responsible for 133 deaths from diabetes, 45,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 6,450 deaths from cancer, according to CBS News.

Some countries also seemed to have higher death rates due to sugary drink consumption than others, including Mexico at 405 deaths per million adults, while the United States averaged at about 125 deaths per million adults.

"Some population dietary changes, such as increasing fruits and vegetables, can be challenging due to agriculture, costs, storage, and other complexities. This is not complicated. There are no health benefits from sugar-sweetened beverages, and the potential impact of reducing consumption is saving tens of thousands of deaths each year," Mozaffarian concluded. 

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