concept

sugar-sweetened beverages

Also known as: sugar-sweetened drinks, sugary drinks, sugary beverages, sugary drink consumption, sugar-sweetened beverages, SSBs, sugar-sweetened beverage

Facts (42)

Sources
Health and environmental impacts of diets worldwide globalnutritionreport.org Global Nutrition Report 12 facts
perspectiveTo improve population health, policy measures should support increased intake of health-promoting foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts/seeds, while reducing the intake of unhealthy foods such as red meat, processed meat, and sugary beverages.
referenceThe systematic review and meta-analysis titled 'Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and fruit juice and incidence of type 2 diabetes' was published in the BMJ in 2015 (h3576).
measurementDeaths attributable to high sugary drink consumption increased from 243,179 in 2010 to 291,530 in 2018, according to the 2021 Global Nutrition Report.
claimDiets globally continue to lack sufficient amounts of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains, while including excessive and sometimes rising amounts of red meat, processed meat, and sugary drinks.
measurementRisks related to dietary composition in the 2021 Global Nutrition Report analysis included low intake of fruits (2.8 million deaths), whole grains (2.3 million), vegetables (1.7 million), legumes (1.5 million), nuts and seeds (1.0 million), and high intake of red meat (980,000), processed meat (880,000), and sugar-sweetened beverages (290,000).
claimA healthy diet consists of plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and oils high in unsaturated fats, while containing little to no red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains, and oils high in saturated fats.
measurementThe health burden attributable to the consumption of red and processed meat is more than six times as large as the health burden associated with the consumption of sugary drinks.
referenceThe article 'Should we tax sugar-sweetened beverages? An overview of theory and evidence' was published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives in 2019 (33: 202–27).
measurementGlobal consumption of sugary drinks increased by 4% between 2010 and 2018.
measurementA quarter of all deaths among adults globally are attributable to poor diets, defined as diets low in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, and high in red meat, processed meat, and sugary drinks.
referenceThe dose-response meta-analysis titled 'Sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of hypertension and CVD' was published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2015 (113: 709–17).
referenceThe Global Nutrition Report 2021 analysis includes diet-disease associations for low intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts/seeds, and whole grains, as well as for high intake of red meat, processed meat, and sugary drinks.
Global dietary quality in 185 countries from 1990 to 2018 show wide ... nature.com Nature Sep 19, 2022 9 facts
claimHigher education was generally linked to greater consumption of fruits, non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, and plant oils, but not always to lower consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and red/processed meat.
measurementGlobally, between 1990 and 2018, AHEI scores increased for non-starchy vegetables (+1.1), legumes/nuts (+1.1), and fruit (+0.1); decreased for red/processed meat (βˆ’1.4), sugar-sweetened beverages (βˆ’0.6), and sodium (βˆ’0.4); and remained stable for whole grains (+0.1), PUFAs (0), and seafood omega-3 (0).
measurementGlobally, more educated individuals had lower AHEI scores (less favorable consumption levels) for red/processed meat (-0.6), sugar-sweetened beverages (-0.6), and nuts and legumes (-0.1).
measurementAcross the world's 25 most populous countries in 2018, there was a 100-fold difference in sodium scores, a 90-fold difference in red/processed meat scores, and a 23-fold difference in sugar-sweetened beverage scores.
measurementIn 2018, the highest global AHEI component scores for unhealthier items (indicating lowest or most favourable intakes) were for sugar-sweetened beverages (5.8) and red/processed meat (4.8).
claimIn high-income countries, Central/Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern Africa, improvements in dietary quality driven by increased intake of fruit, non-starchy vegetables, legumes/nuts, and whole grains have been offset by stable or only minor reductions in red/processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and sodium.
measurementGlobally, children had lower AHEI component scores than adults for fruit (2.2 vs 2.5), non-starchy vegetables (3.1 vs 4.3), sugar-sweetened beverages (5.3 vs 6.1), and seafood omega-3 (3.3 vs 4.7).
measurementGlobally, urban residents had higher AHEI scores for fruit (+0.2) and whole grains (+0.2), but lower scores for sugar-sweetened beverages (-0.5), red/processed meat (-0.4), and legumes/nuts (-0.1).
measurementIn 2018, the highest dietary pattern scores were identified in low-income countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, driven by relatively low consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and red/processed meats.
Implications of the Western Diet for Agricultural Production, Health ... frontiersin.org Frontiers 4 facts
claimCurrent dietary patterns cause an acceleration of greenhouse gas emissions, increased prevalence of obesity and diabetes, and an expansion of land-use change to satisfy the demand for highly processed food products and sugary drinks.
claimBroad bean production declined over the 40 years prior to the study, coinciding with increased production of flours and sugars for mass-produced processed foods like refined pastas and high-sugar drinks.
claimIn the United States, multiple studies indicate that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with health issues including overweight, obesity, and diabetes.
measurementAdults and young people in the United States consume between 143 and 145 calories per day from sugar-sweetened beverages.
Global overview of dietary outcomes and dietary intake assessment ... link.springer.com Springer Aug 21, 2021 2 facts
claimIn maritime settings, access to meat, processed meat, eggs, frozen and canned food items, sugary drinks, alcohol, and greasy and salty food is high, while consumption of fruit, vegetables, dairy products, and cereals is lower than recommended dietary guidelines.
claimDietary intake in maritime settings is characterized by high consumption of meat, processed meat, eggs, frozen and canned food, sugary drinks, alcohol, and greasy and salty foods, while consumption of fruit, vegetables, dairy products, and cereals is lower than recommended.
Measurement of diets that are healthy, environmentally sustainable ... frontiersin.org Frontiers 2 facts
claimConventional boundary-setting in dietary studies that limits attention to food system functions post-farmgate leads to the exclusion of widely consumed items like ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages.
claimDietary patterns must measure and incorporate at least three food items or groups to be eligible for inclusion in the review; studies examining only a single food item or group, such as sugar-sweetened beverages or meat consumption, were excluded.
Dietary Guidelines and Quality - Principles of Nutritional Assessment nutritionalassessment.org Arimond M, Deitchler M Β· nutritionalassessment.org 2 facts
claimThe GDR Score assigns negative scores to the consumption of sodas/sugar-sweetened beverages, baked/grain-based sweets, other sweets, processed meat (double weight), unprocessed red meat, deep-fried foods, food from fast-food restaurants, instant noodles, and packaged salty snacks.
measurementThe Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) and GDQS- metrics categorize food groups into healthy and unhealthy components, where items like processed meat, refined grains, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, juice, white roots/tubers, and deep-fried foods are considered unhealthy in excessive amounts.
What Are The Global Impacts of The Western Diet On Health? rupahealth.com Rupa Health 2 facts
claimThe Western diet is characterized by four key components: high consumption of processed foods, excessive intake of red meat, high intake of sugary beverages and sweets, and low intake of fruits and vegetables.
claimThe high intake of sugary drinks and sweets in the Western diet contributes to the rise in obesity, diabetes, and dental issues.
What Is the Western Diet and What Does It Mean for Your Health? granitepeaksgi.com Granite Peaks Gastroenterology Mar 30, 2022 1 fact
claimThe Western diet is a contemporary eating pattern characterized by a high intake of processed foods, refined grains, red and processed meats, sugary drinks, sweets, fried meals, conventionally produced animal products, high-fat dairy, and high-fructose foods.
Sustainable and healthy diet index (SHDI) unveils regional ... link.springer.com Springer Sep 11, 2025 1 fact
claimRespondents in Kenitra reported the most frequent intake of animal proteins, including fish, milk, dairy products, eggs, white meats, and red meats, as well as sugary drinks, fast foods, and salty snacks.
A Scoping Review of Indicators for Sustainable Healthy Diets frontiersin.org Frontiers Jan 12, 2022 1 fact
claimSuboptimal diets are characterized by low intake of fibers, fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, milk, seafood, calcium, and healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids) and high intake of trans-fatty acids, sodium, red or processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages, according to Afshin et al. (2019).
Diet composition and staple-food dependence as structural ... researchsquare.com Research Square 1 fact
claimSouth Asia exhibits relatively high diet diversity due to high consumption of whole grains and low intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and red/processed meat.
Understanding the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans hsph.harvard.edu Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Jan 8, 2026 1 fact
claimEdward Giovannucci notes that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans include positive recommendations to avoid highly processed packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or salty/sweet foods, as well as sugar-sweetened beverages.
Western pattern diet - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Wikipedia 1 fact
claimThe Western pattern diet is a modern dietary pattern originating in the industrialized West, characterized by high intakes of pre-packaged foods, refined grains, red and processed meat, high-sugar drinks, candy, sweets, fried foods, high-fat dairy products, eggs, potato products, and corn products like high-fructose corn syrup.
Western pattern diet | Nutrition and Dietetics | Research Starters ebsco.com EBSCO 1 fact
claimThe Western Pattern Diet is characterized by a high intake of processed and convenience foods, including large quantities of butter, high-fructose corn syrup, fried foods, high-fat dairy products, red meats, eggs, potatoes, refined grains, and sugary beverages.
History of modern nutrition scienceβ€”implications for current ... bmj.com BMJ Jun 13, 2018 1 fact
claimMost policy innovation regarding nutrition has focused on sugar-sweetened drinks, utilizing a model similar to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which includes taxation, restricting sales locations, restricting marketing, and using warning labels.
Indigenous Foods - National Indian Council on Aging nicoa.org National Indian Council on Aging 1 fact
claimThe National Indian Council on Aging advises avoiding sugary drinks such as soda, juices, and beverages containing high fructose corn syrup, as well as high-sugar foods like chips, sweet breads, cakes, and candy.