Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
People are consuming more sugary drinks and ice cream on warmer days, which is bad for their health. New research has warned that this is becoming a bigger problem as climate change drives up temperatures.
Sugar is a major contributor to serious health problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. But people around the world have been eating much more sugar in recent decades.
Hotter days could be one factor. According to a study published last month in the journal Nature Climate Change, heat pushes people to grab ice cream or cooling sugary drinks like soda and juice.
“Your environment definitely shapes what you eat and how you eat, and climate change is part of it – it might have an adverse influence on your health,” explained study co-author Duo Chan from the University of Southampton.
The team of researchers were from the United Kingdom and the United States. They studied foods Americans bought from 2004 to 2019 and looked at how they related to the weather.
People consumed an extra 0.70 grams of sugar a day for every extra degree within 12-30 degrees Celsius. According to the American Heart Association, the daily added sugar recommendation for children is no more than 24 grams or about six teaspoons.
Added sugars are different from the ones that are naturally found in foods like fruits, vegetables and milk. Examples of added sugars include sucrose, syrups, honey and sugars from concentrated fruit juices.
One can of soda contains around 40 grams of sugar (see graphic).
Studies have shown there is a link between heart disease and eating too much added sugar. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world.
