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Mexico Confronts Diabetes Emergency as New Analysis Links Sugary Drinks to Major Share of Cases

Experts cite new estimates tying sugary beverages to a large portion of new type 2 diabetes, urging stronger policies insulated from industry interference.

Overview

  • Preliminary INEGI data show 112,641 diabetes deaths in 2024, keeping the disease among Mexico’s leading killers.
  • A study cited by seminar panelists estimates sugary drinks account for 30% of new type 2 diabetes cases in Mexico—about 169,425 in a year—and 14.9% of diabetes deaths.
  • The same analysis attributes 13.5% of new cardiovascular disease cases (60,850) and 9.2% of cardiovascular deaths to sugary beverage consumption.
  • Mexico ranks among the world’s highest consumers of sugary beverages at roughly 166 liters per person annually, a level reported as about triple the global average.
  • Researchers say the 2014 soda tax cut purchases by 6–12% in early years and, together with front-of-pack warnings, curbed buying and spurred reformulation, while advocates call to reinforce these measures against sustained industry interference.