New York, Aug 8 : A comprehensive global analysis of dietary habits among children and adolescents from 185 countries has revealed a significant increase in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in the US, found that youth consumed nearly 23 per cent more sugary drinks in 2018 compared to 1990.

Drawing from the Global Dietary Database, the study provides the first global estimates and trends of sugar-sweetened beverage intake among youth. These beverages include soda, juice drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, and home-sweetened fruit drinks like aguas frescas with added sugars. Excluded from the study were 100 per cent fruit juices, non-caloric artificially sweetened drinks, and sweetened milks.

The research team analysed data from over 1,200 surveys conducted between 1990 and 2018, focusing on youth aged 3 to 19 years. They discovered that, on average, youth drank 3.6 servings of sugary beverages per week globally, with significant regional variations. Consumption ranged from 1.3 servings per week in South Asia to 9.1 in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 56 countries, representing 238 million young people or 10 per cent of the global youth population, the average intake was 7 or more servings per week.

'Sugary beverages increase weight gain and risk of obesity, so even though kids don't often develop diabetes or cardiovascular disease when they are young, there could be significant impacts later in life,' said Laura Lara-Castor, the study's first author and a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Washington. 'This study highlights the need for targeted education and policy interventions to change behaviour early on.'

The study identified Mexico (10.1 servings per week), Uganda (6.9), Pakistan (6.4), South Africa (6.2), and the United States (6.2) as having the highest sugary drink intakes among youth in 2018. The most significant increase was observed in Sub-Saharan Africa, where average weekly servings grew by 106 per cent to 2.17 servings per week from 1990 to 2018.

Efforts such as soda taxes and restrictions on sugary drink sales in schools are being implemented worldwide to promote healthier dietary habits. However, these measures face opposition from aggressive industry marketing and the globalisation of the food sector.

'Our findings should raise alarm bells in nearly every nation worldwide,' said senior author Dariush Mozaffarian, Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School. 'The intakes and trends we're seeing pose a significant threat to public health, one we can and must address for the future of a healthier population.'

/IANS