Work

Rising temperatures increase added sugar intake disproportionately in disadvantaged groups in the USA

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Extreme heat may affect added sugar consumption through the increased intake of drinks and frozen desserts, but such an impact is rarely quantified. Here, using individual transaction-level data for US households in 2004–2019, we find that added sugar consumption is positively related to temperature, notably within 12–30 °C at a rate of 0.70 g °C −1 . This is primarily driven by the higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and frozen desserts. The magnitude of such impact is larger among households with lower income or educational levels. Our projections indicate a substantial nationwide increase in added sugar consumption of 2.99 g per day by 2095 (or equivalently 5 °C warming level), with vulnerable groups at an even higher risk. Our results highlight the critical need to mitigate health risks from the over-intake of added sugar and to explore dietary adaptation to climate change.

Source: Nature Climate Change

DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02398-8

Authors: Pan He, Zhuojing Xu, Duo Chan, Pengfei Liu, Yan Bai