184,000 Deaths Per Year

Sugary drinks, like soda, account for 184,000 deaths per year worldwide according to a recent study published in the medical journal Circulation.

This report, a first of its kind, analyzed global death risks due to diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancers linked to the consumption of soda and sugary drinks.

What the researchers from Tufts University found was nearly 133,000 people died from diabetes due to consuming sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda. Approximately 45,000 people died worldwide from cardiovascular diseases from sugary drink consumption. And, 6,450 people died from cancers link to drinking such sugar-filled beverages.

One finding was that some countries have a significant number of deaths from sugar-sweetened beverages like soda. Researchers said that ‘it should be a global priority to substantially reduce or eliminate sugary beverages from the diet.’

The countries with the highest rate of deaths due to sugary beverages were Mexico with the highest rate of 450 deaths per million adults, followed by the United States with 125 deaths per million adults.

Another key finding of the research was that the general quantity of sugar available in a country correlated with the country’s frequency of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The report also found that 76 percent of deaths related to soda and other sugary drink consumption occurred in low to middle income countries.

The research analyzed 62 dietary surveys from 51 countries conducted between 1980 and 2010.