Rising Sugary Drink Consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa Alarms Health Researchers

A recent study reveals that Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced the most substantial surge in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, including sodas and energy drinks, since 1990. The study emphasizes that what people consume is a critical factor in health and health equity, and the soaring intake of sugary drinks is a "priority concern" due to its associations with obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and dental issues.

This study, available in open access and published in Nature Communications, assessed sugary drink consumption among adults from 1990 to 2018 in 185 countries. The research categorized the findings by age, gender, education level, and rural/urban residence, using data sourced from the Global Dietary Database.

The study's findings highlighted that men consumed more sugary drinks than women, while younger individuals had a higher intake compared to older ones. Moreover, people with higher educational levels and those residing in urban areas showed greater consumption of sugary beverages compared to their counterparts in rural areas.

On a global scale, the most significant increase in sugary drink consumption between 1990 and 2018 was observed in Sub-Saharan Africa. The disparities in consumption linked to education and urban living were also most pronounced in Sub-Saharan African nations.

The researchers noted, "Sugar-sweetened drink intakes increased between 1990 and 2018 by 0.37 servings a week, with the largest increase in Sub-Saharan Africa, and an overall decrease in Latin America/Caribbean." They further highlighted the growing public health concern associated with sugary drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa and emphasized the need for intervention, surveillance, and policy actions worldwide.

In this study, sugar-sweetened drinks encompassed beverages with added sugars and providing more than 50 kcal per 8 oz serving. This category included both commercial and homemade beverages, soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, punch, lemonade, and aguas frescas (a popular sweetened drink in Mexico and other Latin American countries). Notably, it excluded 100% fruit and vegetable juices, non-caloric artificially sweetened drinks, and sweetened milk.

The researchers pointed out that Sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth and expanding middle class have made it an attractive target for the marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages by the industry. The drink industry has often directed intensive marketing campaigns toward historically marginalized populations.

Among the 25 most populous countries studied, the largest disparities in sugary drink intake between highly educated and less-educated adults were seen in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, with the more educated adults typically consuming more than three servings a week compared to their less-educated counterparts.

To address this issue, the researchers advocate for informed dietary guidelines and preventive measures such as sugar taxes, warning labels, and marketing restrictions. They stress the importance of targeting specific subgroups and demographics, including younger adults worldwide, highly educated adults in Sub-Saharan Africa, and less-educated adults in the Middle East and North Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends taxing sugar-sweetened drinks as an effective measure to reduce consumption. Currently, 108 countries worldwide have implemented sugary drink taxes, covering 52% of the global population. However, most of these policies were introduced or updated after 2017, which is not reflected in this study's data. Notably, South Africa has a sugary drink tax in place, but no other Sub-Saharan African country has adopted such a tax.

The researchers also expressed concern over the food and beverage industry's efforts to undermine or obstruct sugary drink taxes through various means, including discrediting research findings, funding biased industry research, using misleading summaries, employing marketing tactics, and making false claims regarding potential adverse social consequences, such as significant job losses.