The global consumption of sugary drinks has increased by nearly 16 per cent since 1990, according to a study.
Sweetened drinks have been linked to obesity and cardiometabolic diseases, which are among the main causes of death and disability globally.
Patterns by region and demographics
The data, analysed by researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, in Boston, US, indicates that the choice to consume sugary drinks is heavily influenced by geographical and demographic factors.
Globally, in 2018, the average person drank 2.7 sugary servings a week, up 0.37 from 1990.
However, this figure varied significantly, with people in South Asia drinking as little as 0.7 servings and those in Latin America and the Caribbean consuming as much as 7.8 servings.
Consumption was higher among males than females and was more prevalent in the younger population.
Laura Lara-Castor, first author on the study and PhD candidate at the Friedman School, told The National: “Some marketing strategies from the food industry tend to target younger ages or are more aggressive in regions with less regulatory policies.”
The relationship between consumption and education level or whether one lives in a rural or urban setting changes depending on the region.
Among the notable findings, urban and highly educated adults in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean had some of the world's highest sugary drink consumption, drinking 12.4 and 8.5 servings a week, respectively.
However, in the Middle East and North Africa, it was the opposite, with adults with more education drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages than those with less education.
The difference was about 1.23 fewer servings every week, which is a 25.2 per cent reduction.
In the region, city dwellers drank fewer sugary drinks than people living in rural areas. Specifically, people in cities had 0.81 fewer servings a week, which is 16.1 per cent less than those in the countryside.
“The Middle East/North Africa region had opposite findings by education level and area of residence for 2018 compared to the global findings and other regions,” Ms Lara-Castor told The National.
Here, regardless of how much education they had, people in rural areas consistently drank more sugary drinks than those in cities.
On a national level, Mexico, Ethiopia, the US and Nigeria topped the list for weekly sugary drink servings, while countries such as India, China, and Bangladesh had notably lower consumption rates.
“We were struck by the wide variations by world regions in 2018,” Ms Lara-Castor said. “These results suggest the need for more potent interventions.”
Potential causes for trends
The study, published in JAMA: the Journal of American Medical Association, did not directly pinpoint causes for these trends, but the researchers suggests factors might include targeted marketing by the beverage industry, the perception of Western diets as prestigious, and limited access to clean water in certain areas.
“Soda can reach the farthest places, and in some countries might be the only drinkable option at times due to water accessibility issues,” Ms Lara-Castor said.
Despite efforts to reduce its appeal, “sugar-sweetened beverage intake has increased in recent decades”, warned cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian of the Friedman School.
The research underscores the need for national and targeted policies to cut consumption.
Researchers emphasise the importance of future studies focusing on children and adolescents, assessing the global impact of soft drink taxes, and delving deeper into country-specific consumption habits, including the influence of other sweet beverages.
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
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India (for first three ODIs) Kohli (capt), Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Rahane, Dhoni, Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh, Shami.
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
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Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
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Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
