Trends in global consumption of aerated drinks and other beverages

Washington DC: A survey conducted on beverage intakes in several countries has revealed the diversity in existing intakes and trends in global consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices and milk.

In a research conducted by Tufts University it was reported that the consumption of all three types of beverages was lowest in East Asia and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was highest in the Caribbean.

Author Gitanjali Singh said that their analysis highlights the enormous spectrum of beverage intakes worldwide, by country, age and sex.

He added that the team's results identify important variation among different international subgroups and can inform efforts to measure the impact of these beverages on global health and aid in developing targeted health-oriented nutrition policies for specific populations.

Global trends in 2010 revealed that major variation by region, with highest sugar-sweetened beverage intake in the Americas, particularly in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean; highest fruit juice intake in Australasia; and highest milk intake in Northern Europe.

It also revealed large variation by age, with higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages in younger adults and higher intake of milk in older adults.

Overall, the research demonstrated that average beverage consumption varied significantly by age and region, but there were only minor differences between men and women.

The research is published in the Journal PLOS ONE.