Sugary drinks kill 180,000 people around the world, study suggests

[Redfairen]

Source: CBS News

Sugary drinks are often in the crosshairs of public health advocates, with studies and campaigns often spotlighting the links between drinking soda and risk for diabetes and obesity.

Now, a new study puts a staggering number on the toll that drinking these beverages takes on the world: Researchers associated 180,000 deaths each year with soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages.

Researchers pulled data from a 2010 study on global disease burden for their analysis to come up with the number of deaths linked to sugary drink consumption. They calculated sugar intake around the world based on age and gender, in addition to the link between intake and risk for obesity and diabetes.

Overall, they found 133,000 deaths from diabetes, 44,000 from heart disease and 6,000 deaths from cancer across the globe that were linked to sugary drink intake. In the U.S., 25,000 deaths were linked to drinking sugary drinks; worldwide, 78 percent of these deaths were in low and middle-income countries, not high-income ones.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57575332/sugary-drinks-kill-180000-people-around-the-world-study-suggests/

[AtheistCrusader]

1. Diet pop has probably saved my life at this point.

I know it has risks as well, with aspartame, and whatnot, but I just haven't been able to kick my enjoyment of it. If I didn't have that as an alternative, I'd probably be dead already, diabetes or some other obesity-related illness.

[MelungeonWoman]

2. If we count the world population at 9 billion,

that's one in every 50 million. I would have thought it would be higher than that.

[nonoyes]

4. World population is SEVEN plus billion and almost half of them

don't get a balanced diet, or don't have access to modern health care.


http://www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2012/world-population-data-sheet/data-sheet.aspx

"World population reached 7 billion in 2011, and now totals almost 7.1 billion," says Wendy Baldwin, president and CEO of PRB. "The developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America account for 97 percent of this growth because of the dual effects of continued high birth rates and young populations."

These new PRB publications offer detailed information on 19 population, health, and environment indicators for more than 200 countries. The data sheet clearly illustrates a continuing rapid expansion in world population. Even though declines in birth rates have been virtually universal across countries, some countries have shown little if any decline, such as Mali and Niger.

"Declines in birth rates continue to vary widely among regions, and within countries in a particular region," says Carl Haub, PRB senior demographer and co-author of the data sheet. There are 25 countries in Africa where women have five or more children each. "In Malawi, for example, women average 5.7 children," he explains. "But the poorest fifth of the population averages 7 children per woman, while the richest fifth averages fewer than 4 children per woman." In contrast, women in South Africa average 2.4 children.

This year's data sheet has a special focus on noncommunicable diseases. While developing countries are typically still battling infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases—mainly cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and most cancers—are now the leading cause of death in all world regions except sub-Saharan Africa. Even in sub-Saharan Africa, noncommunicable diseases will account for almost half of all deaths by 2030. Four behavioral risk factors account for most noncommunicable diseases: tobacco use, unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity, and harmful use of alcohol.

[LiberalLovinLug]

3. Drink Baby Drink!

[BrotherIvan]

5. Wait till a generation has been chugging HFCS made from GMO corn

Wild animals won't touch GMO feed unless there is no alternative. Humans, unfortunately have lost the ability to sense dangerous food.

[valerief]

6. Acidic diets kill. nt

[Llewlladdwr]

7. That's roughly 0.00003% of the population.

What was the problem again?

[ThoughtCriminal]

8. Oh Yeaahh!