Countries that love sugary drinks the most REVEALED – and Britain isn’t even in the top 10

Brits are the second biggest consumers of sugary drinks in Western Europe, a survey has found.

People in Britain drink an average of almost four and a half sugary drinks per week, including fizzy cola, lemonade, energy drinks and fruit-flavoured drinks, based on the latest available data for 2018.

That makes us the second worst in Western Europe after Belgium, despite evidence that too many sugary drinks leads to tooth decay and obesity, and is linked to a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease.

A study comparing 185 countries looked at people’s average number of sugary drinks: one drink was eight fluid ounces, which is just under half a pint in Britain.

Between 2005 and 2018, despite growing awareness of the harms of sugar, people in Britain increased their consumption of sugary drinks by around a tenth of a drink.

Britain is also among the bottom five when it comes to sugary drink consumption, with an average of 4.4 drinks per week, almost three times the 1.5 in Italy, and double the 2.2 glasses that we consume on average in Sweden every week. Our total was also much higher than the 2.8 drinks recorded in France, 2.7 in Germany and 3.1 drinks per week in Australia

And this increase was greater among people aged 20 to 39, who are the biggest consumers of unhealthy drinks, consuming almost seven sugary drinks per week.

The researchers, who found the highest sugar consumption in sub-Saharan Africa, cited 24 high-income countries in their analysis.

Britain is also among the bottom five when it comes to sugary drink consumption, with an average of 4.4 drinks per week, almost three times the 1.5 in Italy, and double the 2.2 glasses that we consume on average in Sweden every week.

Our total was also much higher than the 2.8 drinks in France, 2.7 in Germany and 3.1 drinks per week in Australia.

The British came only just behind the Americans, who consumed an average of 4.9 sugary drinks per week, while the Belgians drank 5.2 drinks, while people in Malta were the worst among high-income countries, with an average of 6. 2 drinks per week.

Professor Dariush Mozaffarian, senior author of the study, from Tufts University in the US, said: ‘Intake of sugary drinks has increased since 2005, especially among people under 40 in Britain, despite efforts to reduce public health to reduce its appeal.

‘This is worrying, but it is also logical, because the advertising is mainly aimed at young people.

‘These drinks are made to look fun and cool, and are advertised by inspiring sports stars and popular singers.

‘Young people also often feel that they are invincible, which makes them less likely to think about the health effects of carbonated drinks.’

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, shows that global consumption of sugary drinks increased by 16 percent between 1990 and 2018.

In Britain, as seen around the world, men typically drank a greater amount than women.

The findings are based on large national surveys that ask people over the age of 20 about their diet.

In Britain, people were asked to remember what food and drink they had consumed in the past 24 hours, and a separate questionnaire indicated how many servings of different foods and drinks they typically had.

Survey results up to 2018 were not available for this country, but were estimated based on previous years and comparable countries.

The highest number of servings of sugary drinks was recorded in Rwanda, where the weekly average was 34 drinks, and in the West African country of Togo, where the average in 2018 was 29.

But in India, China and Bangladesh the weekly average was just one-fifth of a drink.

Overall, world consumption of sugary drinks was highest among urban, highly educated adults in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The study did not include sugar-sweetened tea and coffee because, unlike the sugary drinks studied, these are typically under 50 calories per cup.

It has been five years since Britain introduced a sugar tax, requiring manufacturers of drinks with too much added sugar to pay a levy.

Commenting on the research, Hattie Burt, from World Action on Salt, Sugar & Health, said: ‘This new research underlines the importance of policies designed to improve the nutritional quality of food and drink.’

She said the sugar tax had worked well to encourage manufacturers to remove sugar from soft drinks, but added: ‘More robust measures like this are needed from the government to improve our food environment, including restrictions on the marketing and promotion of food which are considered to contain a lot of fat. , salt and sugar.’

WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?

Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, preferably whole grains, according to the NHS

• Eat at least 5 portions of varied fruit and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count

• Basic meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, preferably whole wheat

• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole-grain cereal cookies, 2 thick slices of whole-grain bread, and a large baked potato with the skin still on

• Provide some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks), opting for lower fat and lower sugar options

• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish per week, one portion of which is fatty)

• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume them in small quantities

• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water per day

• Adults should have less than 6 grams of salt and 20 grams of saturated fat for women or 30 grams for men per day

Source: NHS Eatwell Guide