Study in US households links higher intake of sugary foods with rising temperatures

A study that analysed consumption of sugary foods in up to 60,000 US households has found that a higher intake of soda, juice and ice creams could be related to rising temperatures, with low-income and less-educated groups affected more.

Findings published in the journal Nature Climate Change suggest that for every increase in a day’s temperature of one degree Celsius within the 12-30 degrees’ Celsius range, an individual might consume 0.7 grams more sugar per day.

Researchers from the US, UK and China said the study highlights that health risks due to an overconsumption of added sugar would need to be mitigated as global warming continues — high levels of added sugar intake are known to contribute to obesity and metabolic disorders.

Hot weather can drive a physiological or psychological demand for liquids and chilled, sweetened products, the team said.

Data collected when a consumer scans a product for purchase in a supermarket and gathered over 2004-2019 was analysed.

“Using individual transaction-level data for US households in 2004-2019, we find that added sugar consumption is positively related to temperature, notably within 12-30 degrees Celsius at a rate of 0.70 grams per degree Celsius,” the authors wrote.

Sweetened beverages were found to emerge as the main driver, with intake rising sharply between 12 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius of ambient temperature.

Climate change is projected to widen inequities in nutrition and health, and vulnerable populations — such as the socio-economically disadvantaged groups — would need to be identified and targeted for adapting diets, the researchers said.

A 2020 study found that individuals aged two and above consumed more than 70 grams of added sugars per day in 2017-2018, “far surpassing the dietary guidelines of less than 10 per cent of daily calories from added sugars, equivalent to about 60 grams on a 2,400 calorie diet,” the authors said.

“Our analysis provides empirical evidence on the impacts of weather conditions on added sugar consumption for cost-effectiveness analyses of sugar reduction programmes and policies under climate change,” they said.

The team also projected for the US that intake of added sugar per person could increase by three grams per day by 2095, with vulnerable groups — including women and low-income groups — at an even higher risk.