A major international study published in Nature Medicine has confirmed what many health experts have long suspected: sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs)—like sodas, juice drinks, and sweetened teas—are not just contributing to empty calories, but are actively fuelling chronic disease on a global scale.
In 2020 alone, these drinks were linked to more than 2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and over 1 million new cases of cardiovascular disease [1], including heart attacks and strokes. That equates to nearly one in ten new cases of diabetes worldwide being directly attributable to sugary drink consumption.
What sets this research apart is its scale and comprehensiveness—it draws on dietary data from 184 countries. Regions most affected include Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa, where sugary drinks are widely consumed and often more accessible than clean drinking water.
A Closer Look at the Risk
What makes sugary drinks particularly harmful?
Unlike whole fruits or balanced meals, sugar-sweetened beverages deliver sugar in liquid form. This means the sugar is absorbed rapidly, with no fibre or nutrients to buffer the impact. The result is a sharp rise in blood glucose and insulin levels, placing repeated stress on the pancreas and encouraging fat storage—especially around the liver and abdomen. Over time, this contributes to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease [1, 2].
The study also shows that the burden of disease is rising fastest in low- and middle-income countries. As traditional dietary patterns shift toward more processed foods and beverages, chronic diseases are increasingly affecting people at younger ages.
Beyond Policy: The Need for Better Choices
The authors call for urgent action from governments—ranging from taxes on sugary drinks and tighter marketing regulations to improved food labelling. These are all important steps. However, awareness and policy must go hand in hand with access to better alternatives.
This is where Dr Coy’s Sugars offer a meaningful solution. Not only are they natural and low-glycaemic, but they’re also chosen based on scientific research into how our bodies metabolise sugar at the cellular level. Dr. Johannes Coy, who discovered the TKTL1 enzyme, identified its overactivity in many chronic diseases, including cancer. The sugars used in Dr Coy’s formulations are selected to avoid feeding this TKTL1-driven metabolic pathway [3][4].
Dr Coy’s Sugars: A Smarter Kind of Sweet
Unlike artificial sweeteners or conventional sugar substitutes, Dr Coy’s Sugars are natural sugars carefully selected and formulated to deliver a low glycaemic response and support healthy metabolic function. These include sugars such as isomaltulose, tagatose, and galactose [5, 6, 7]—which are digested more slowly, help avoid blood sugar spikes, and are even tooth-friendly.
Tagatose and isomaltulose are backed by official health claims from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA):
“Consumption of foods and drinks containing isomaltulose instead of sugar leads to a lower blood glucose rise after their consumption. Consumption of foods/drinks containing isomaltulose instead of other sugars contributes to the maintenance of tooth mineralization.” [8]
“Consumption of foods and drinks containing tagatose instead of other sugars induces a lower blood glucose rise after their consumption compared to sugar-containing foods/drinks. Consumption of foods and drinks containing tagatose instead of other sugars contributes to the maintenance of tooth mineralisation.” [9]
Both sugars are also tooth-friendly, as they are not fermented by oral bacteria and do not contribute to tooth decay. These EFSA-approved claims make them science-backed alternatives to conventional sugar—offering sweetness without the metabolic spike.
Making an Intelligent Switch
At Intelligent Sugar, our mission is to provide science-led knowledge about healthier sugar alternatives. As studies like this continue to clarify the true health impact of conventional sugar, the case for change becomes stronger.
It’s not simply about avoiding harmful ingredients—it’s about choosing better ones. Dr Coy’s Sugars represent a new generation of sugar: natural, intelligent, and aligned with long-term health.
References:
- Singh, G. M., et al. (2024). Global burden of disease attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages. Nature Medicine. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03345-4
- Coy, J. F. (2012). Sugars with metabolic benefits: a new class of functional carbohydrates. Medical Hypotheses.
- TKTL1 and sugar metabolism. Coy’s Sugar Is Inside. https://dr-coys-sugar-is-inside.info/history-of-tktl1/
- Cancer nutrition and the Dr Coy Principle. Intelligent Sugar. https://intelligentsugar.info/sugars/cancer-nutrition-with-the-dr-coy-principle/
- Lu, Y., Levin, G. V., & Donner, T. W. (2008). Tagatose: a new antidiabetic and obesity control drug. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
- Lina, B. A., Jonker, D., & Kozianowski, G. (2002). Isomaltulose (Palatinose™): a review of biological and toxicological studies. Food and Chemical Toxicology.
- Coy, J. F. (2011). Functional sugars in health and disease. European Journal of Nutrition & Metabolism.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to isomaltulose and reduction of post-prandial glycaemic responses. EFSA Journal. 2010;8(7):1683. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1683
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to tagatose and its effects on blood glucose and tooth mineralisation. EFSA Journal.