Some not-so-sweet numbers

Mexican Sodas
Mexican Sodas Jeremy Brooks, CC BY-NC 2.0

While the science linking sugary drinks with obesity and illness is still uncertain, one new study has come up with a number: 180,000 deaths a year worldwide may be associated with sodas, sports drinks, fruit drinks and other sweet, sweet beverages.

In the U.S., 25,000 deaths in 2010 were related to drinking sugary drinks, the study estimated. But the countries that suffered most were low- and middle-income.

To get their numbers, public health researchers examined data from the World Health Organization's 2010 Global Burden of Diseases Study about 114 countries representing about 80 percent of the world population. The researchers calculated the associations between people's body mass indices, their sugary drink consumption and deaths from different diseases. They found links between sugared drink consumption and 133,000 worldwide deaths from diabetes, 44,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 6,000 deaths from cancer.

Just to be clear, the researchers didn't find drinking sweet things caused people to die. They studied how likely the same people were to drink a lot of sugary beverages, have a high body mass index and die of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Cause is more difficult to prove, and scientists usually look for associations in large population studies like this.

Previous studies of the association between sugared drinks and obesity have sometimes found the two are linked and have sometimes found they aren't, as Slate reported last September. The same story also found, however, that the studies that are most skeptical of an association were funded by soft drink companies.

The authors of the worldwide-deaths study presented their findings yesterday at the conference hosted by the American Heart Association, which offered a recommendation: That adults drink no more than 450 calories' worth of sugary drinks a week, for those on a 2,000 calorie diet.

[American Heart Association]

14 Comments

Yes, boys and girls, adults, sugar is not FOOD!

Ive been smoking crack-rock candy for years.

Soda is just a gateway sugar.

"180,000 deaths a year worldwide may be associated with sodas, sports drinks, fruit drinks and other sweet, sweet beverages."

Yes that 180,000 deaths out of approximately 6,973,738,433 people.

We have much more pressing problems than this such as every year 15 million children worldwide die of hunger.

Let's deal with the big issues please!

Perhaps this is the modern meaning of 'kill you enemy with kindness'. Should we ship a ka-zillion bottles of soda to N.Korea? Hmmm?!!

If they are wise, they can use the cola to clean their toilets or shine the chrome on their cars.

Yea, yea, drink up, it's good for ya!LOL

(not)

"Cause is more difficult to prove, and scientists usually look for associations in large population studies like this."

I'm going to quote that next time you guys want to talk about how gun restrictions result in less gun related crimes.

"Science Confirms The Obvious: Gun Laws Are Associated With Fewer Gun Deaths"

Good job boys.

2 Things:

1. AnyIcon, based on the humor you use, I will continue to belive you are Robot.

2. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), says that both legal and illegal drugs affect one’s body and brain. Under this reasoning, sugar is a Drug. Harsh? Yes. But true. Sorry, Mary Poppins!

I'm sure you've got the wrong guy Mr Death, I'm not fat, I'm just big boned!

IndulaSnicket,
You soda rations should be immediately reduced, from your above paranoia ramblings of said robot login, oye!

According to you, only robots have humor. What’s up with that, lol?

Let's see..... every year some 56 million people die and about 130 million are born. And here we are sucking in the latest and greatest and mostly useless suger drinks deaths?

This is all trivial BS. Learn, before you write, to ask the best question a person looking to write something sensible can ask, "SO. WHAT?"

180,000 Deaths A Year Around The World Linked To Lack Of Self-Control, Lack Of Exercise, And Poor Eating Habits.

A little perspective:

The UN Human Development Report 2000 estimated about 56,000,000 people died each year due to malnutrition.

As with puritans of all stripes, this is about control and power. The food butinsky know-it-alls can't bear to see someone enjoy life without thier permission. Along with the plethora of other lifestyle police that have crawled out of the slime recently, the whole bloody lot of you can take a long walk ob a short pier. GET OUT OF OUR FACES!

Yea sure, the last thing he was drinking prior to his death was a coke.

Never mind all the McFood, Candies and other crap he was eating the prior years of his life and life style living choices.

Yea! Yea! The coke did him in. Oye!

(not)

Anylcon's Avatar is even in the same .gif robotic thing running like Robot's avatars were.

I drink Cola all the time one 2litter every 2-3 days I can get one, but of course I run alot and drink tons of water to flush out the Cola. I could drink several monsters and not get hyped up - it seems I'm immune to the hyper effect of sugars, heck I don't even need sugar to get hyper I just need a good reason like my B day, or a party, or if I want to pass someone on the track :P

And yes I've tryed other energy drinks :P

And Remember Everyone!
Have fun, Have Nukes!



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