Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption rises globally amid health risks

Research published in The BMJ indicates that global consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among children and adolescents increased by an average of 23 percent between 1990 and 2018. This trend correlates with rising obesity rates in young populations. The study, which utilized data from over 1,200 nutritional studies across 185 countries, noted the highest increase in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, the average global consumption was 3.6 standard servings per week, with Latin America and the Caribbean reaching 9.1 servings.

Separately, an observational study published in Gastro Hep Advances and conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital has linked daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages to an increased risk of stomach cancer. Analyzing data from over 112,000 participants from the Nurses Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, researchers found that individuals consuming at least one serving (approximately 240 ml) of such beverages daily had a 2.45 times higher risk of developing stomach cancer compared to those who consumed them less than once a month. The study specified that this link applied to beverages sweetened with simple sugars, such as sodas and lemonades, rather than artificially sweetened low-calorie drinks.