Sugary drinks kill 184,000 people each year, study says

Sugary drinks are responsible for more than 184,000 deaths each year. Photo: Getty

If every other health warning hasn’t been enough to make you ditch sugary beverages, maybe this will.

According to new research published in the journal Circulation, drinking sweet drinks every day attribute to 184,000 deaths every year, world wide. It’s the first in-depth report of the global impact of sugary drinks, which has been linked to the development of diabetes, heart disease, obesity and recently, nonalcoholic liver disease.

The research from Tufts University in Boston looked at 62 dietary studies of over 611,000 people between 1980 and 2010. They examined a range of sweet drinks, including soft drink, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, iced teas and homemade beverages - 100 per cent fruit juice was not included in the survey.

Using the data, they were able to calculate the direct influence of sugary drinks. The stats were scary. In the final year of research, experts believe sugary drinks have resulted in 133,00 deaths from diabetes; 45,000 deaths from heart disease; and 6450 deaths from cancer.

It’s no surprise that sugary drinks have received a huge backlash in recent years, and luckily health authorities are taking note. If you’re unsure of how much sugar you’re consuming, get Sugar Smart with our guide to processed and whole sugar:

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