Full of sugar and empty of nutrients, sugary drinks are calorie bombs whose consumption is exploding. Sugar has never been so consumed in the history of humanity: from 6 grams per day in 1900, we have reached more than 100 grams today. However, if sugar consumed in excess is a factor in obesity and diabetes, sugary drinks would have even worse effects, according to a vast survey published on January 5 in Nature.
This work carried out by Californian researchers covers 184 countries studied between 1990 and 2020. It analyzes, for each country, the correlations between the consumption of sugary drinks and the frequency of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. At the end of a complex decryption, the authors conclude that, for the year 2020 alone, these drinks were responsible for two million new cases of diabetes and one million cases of cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Nearly 10% of cases of diabetes and 3% of cardiovascular damage are in fact the consequence of excessive consumption of sugary sodas. If all countries are affected, the record is held by Latin America and the Caribbean, where 24.4% of cases of diabetes and 11.3% of cardiovascular accidents are the result.
Another survey, published in Sweden at the end of 2024 in Frontiers in Public Health, looked into this subject. By following 70,000 people for thirty years, researchers discovered that excessive consumption of sugary drinks was worse for your health than any other form of sugar, with an increased heart risk. Occasional treats would not have harmful effects. Finally, a third publication from October 2024, in Science, analyzes sugar consumption in childhood.
“These sugary drinks, which are very high in calories, have no satiating power: they provide a lot of calories”
Between January 1940 and September 1953, the British government reduced the permitted per capita portion of sugar to 40 grams per day. The medical records of 38,000 people conceived and born during rationing were compared with those of 22,000 people born afterward. Results: the former have, at age 65, 35% less diabetes and 20% less hypertension than the others. Reduced sugar consumption early in life therefore improves adult health.
But why are these sugary drinks so toxic? “These sugary drinks, which are very high in calories, have no satiating power: they provide a lot of calories, without reducing food consumption”explains Doctor Jean-Michel Cohen, nutritionist in Paris. And does excess sugar in these drinks increase the risk of diabetes, through obesity, or through its own effect? “There are 50 hypotheses, but the most credible is that excess sugar causes weight gain which induces insulin resistance, then a depletion of insulin secretions and diabetes, itself cardiovascular risk factor »explains in turn Professor Boris Hansel, diabetologist at Bichat hospital and author of Eat lightly (Michel Lafon).
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What about the consumption of sweetened drinks?
A 33 centiliter can of sweetened drink is 35 grams of sugar – like, in fact, fruit juices. However, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) recommends a maximum consumption of 100 grams of sugar per day, including sugary drinks, fruit juices, fruits, sugar from coffee or sweets… Because yes, fruits also contain 15 grams of sugar per 100 grams, even if they provide other nutrients.
“If you have to choose between a sweetened drink or a sugary drink, I recommend the sweetened drink”
Should we therefore fall back on sugary drinks with sweeteners? The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified aspartame as a possible carcinogen (without proving it), and consuming sweeteners is not recommended. “But if we ask people to reduce sweeteners, note Boris Hanselthey risk consuming more sugar. If you have to choose between a sweetened drink or a sugary drink, I recommend the sweetened drink. » There have been hundreds of studies on the health effects of sweeteners, and “none has incontestably shown any risk of cancer or obesity”reassures Doctor Jean-Michel Cohen. Conversely, the data on the risks of excess sugar are neither contested nor contestable.
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