Burden of non-communicable chronic diseases attributable to the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverage, 1990-2019

Abstract

Background and objective: The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is one of the main risk factors for chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This study aimed to estimate the burden of NCDs attributable to the consumption of SSBs in 2019, and the changes that occurred from 1990 to 2019 in Brazil and its five macro-regions.

Methods: This descriptive study used data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019. The metrics used were years lived with disability (YLD), years of life lost (YLL), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and deaths. The estimates of crude and age-standardized rates and their respective 95% uncertainty intervals (IIs) were presented per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019, in addition to the changes observed in 1990-2019.

Results: Over the last three decades, the age-standardized rate decreased in the Central-West, South, and Southeast regions, while it remained stabled in the Northeast and North regions; meanwhile, the gross DALY rates increased due to the consumption of SSB in all five Brazilian macro-regions. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) were the main outcomes related to the consumption of SSB, with IHDs showing higher mortality rates and YLL in 1990 and 2019 compared with DM-2, which revealed higher YLD rates.

Conclusion: No significant decrease was observed in the burden of disease attributed to the consumption of SSBs between 1990 and 2019, thus revealing the need to implement and strengthen the articulated actions to reduce the consumption of SSBs, while also considering the country's realities and regional inequalities.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Global burden of disease; Non-communicable diseases; Public health; Sugar-sweetened beverages.