Media release

From: Springer Nature

Climate change: Rising temperatures associated with increased added sugar consumption

Global warming may be associated with an increase in added sugar intake in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages and frozen desserts in the US, especially among more socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change. For every degree Celsius increase in temperature within the 12–30 °C range, added sugar consumption increased by 0.70 grams per person per day.  The findings highlight the need to mitigate the potential health risks associated with the overconsumption of added sugar under future climate change scenarios.

Temperature fluctuations are known to influence what people choose to eat and drink. Hotter weather increases the body’s need for hydration, which often leads to a preference for consuming chilled and sweetened products. This is especially the case in regions accustomed to consuming higher quantities of food and drinks with high sugar contents. Excessive added sugar consumption is linked to obesity, metabolic disorders and other health risks. However, how climate change may affect dietary habits, and the potential health consequences, remains unclear.

To assess how weather conditions may influence added sugar intake, Pan He and colleagues analysed food purchase data for US households from 2004 to 2019 and compared them with meteorological data from the region, including temperature, wind speed, precipitation and humidity levels. They find that added sugar consumption was positively associated with temperature within the range 12–30 °C, primarily driven by higher levels of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda and juice, and frozen desserts, such as ice cream and gelato. The effect was found to be larger among households with lower levels of income or education. The authors also projected that there could be a nationwide increase in added sugar consumption to 2.99 grams per day by the year 2095 (or equivalently 5 °C warming level above pre-industrial levels), with certain groups — including women, low-income and low-education-level groups — at an increased risk.

The findings highlight the urgent need to tackle nutrition and health inequalities exacerbated by climate change, identifying key populations for targeted dietary adaptation interventions. The analyses could inform food policy and climate change adaptation strategies in the USA and in other countries with increasing nutritional and health challenges, the authors suggest.