A group of American scientists from Tufts University analyzed the impact of sugary drinks on the health of the world's population. The results, published in Nature Medicine, show an alarming connection between the consumption of sweetened drinks and an increase in mortality from various diseases, gazeta.ru reports.

The study looked at drinks containing at least 50 calories of sugar per 240 milliliters of liquid. This category does not include dairy products with added sugar, natural juices and drinks with non-caloric sweeteners.

A large-scale analysis covering 2,9 million people from 118 countries revealed shocking statistics. Every year, drinking sugary drinks causes 1.2 million new cases of heart disease and 2,2 million cases of type 2 diabetes.

The mortality rates are especially alarming: about 258 thousand people die annually from cardiovascular diseases and another 80 thousand from diabetes complications associated with drinking sweetened drinks.

The situation is especially critical in developing countries. For example, in Mexico, a third of all diabetes cases are associated with the consumption of sugary drinks, and in Colombia this figure reaches almost 50%.

Scientists emphasize that sugary drinks, which have virtually no nutritional value, cause sharp spikes in blood sugar levels. The publication of these data is intended to draw public attention to the scale of the problem and the seriousness of the threat to public health.