2023-10-07 08:06:27
Some of the largest consumers are highly educated adults living in cities in sub-Saharan Africa (with 12.4 glasses per week). In Italy less than 2 are drunk, but it worries children
Consumption of sugary drinks among adults worldwide is on the rise. This was revealed by a study by researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Massachusetts, published at the beginning of October in the journal Nature Communications.
Global growth is 16%, but the figure is very discontinuous between the various macro areas of the planet, because, for example, consumption in Latin America/Caribbean and high-income countries has decreased, while it has increased in sub-Saharan Africa.
The period of time analyzed was between 1990 and 2018 thanks to the Global Dietary Database which collects data from 185 countries.
The sugary drinks included in the calculation were: soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices, punch, lemonade and aguas frescos (based on fruit, sugar and water) which contain over 50 calories per portion (with a portion of approximately 24 cl, a plastic cup); the definition excluded 100% fruit and vegetable juices, artificially sweetened drinks (light) and sweetened milk.
In 2018, the average adult (aged 20 and over) consumed 2.7 servings of sugary drinks per week, but the percentage ranged from 0.7 in South Asia to 7.8 servings in Latin America and the Caribbean.
With the exception of Latin America/Caribbean and high-income countries, all regions experienced consistent increases between 1990 and 2018 in consumption. Increasing trends were more pronounced in specific subnational groups. For example, they were greatest among younger adults in Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East/North Africa, Southeast and East Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.
It was observed that overall intakes were higher among males than females and among younger people than older people.
Nationally, the countries with the highest consumption included Mexico (8.9), Ethiopia (7.1), the United States (4.9) and Nigeria (4.9), compared to India, China and Bangladesh (with 0. 2 portions per week for each).
Italy, as seen in the attached graph (above), is in the part of the world that consumes from 1.5 to 3.5 portions per week, therefore in second to last place in the lower part of the scale. The areas of the world where the portions consumed are over 10.5 per week are clearly visible in dark blue.
In the second graph (below) you can see how the estimated consumption in Italy in 2018 is under two portions per week. The change in consumption from 1990 to 2005 was slightly up, while that from 1990 to 2018 was slightly decreasing.
Overall, some of the world’s largest consumers of sugary drinks are urban, highly educated adults in sub-Saharan Africa (at 12.4 servings per week).
Greater national social and economic development correlates statistically significantly with lower intakes of sugary drinks, as for high-income countries. These results – write the authors of the study – are in line with the nutritional and epidemiological transition underway globally, which disproportionately affects the poorest nations. The unhealthy diet of countries like the USA, the so-called Western diet (characterised by processed foods with a prevalence of sugar, salt, animal fats) in some developing countries has come hand in hand with well-being, with all the damage to health that results in the long term.
Sugary drinks represent a public health problem because they have been widely associated with obesity and cardiometabolic diseases, which are among the leading causes of death globally.
Not only that, a recent study confirmed what was previously just a hypothesis: an association between the consumption of processed foods (including sugary drinks) and the onset of depression.
Although Italy is among the most virtuous countries in the world for adults, all eyes are on childhood: in 2019, 25.4% of children aged 8 and 9 consumed sugary and/or carbonated drinks daily ( data from the latest Okkio alla Salute report). In 2019, overweight children in Italy were 20.4% of the total and 9.4% were obese.
October 7, 2023 (modified October 7, 2023 | 08:06)
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