If summer heat waves have you reaching for cold, sugary beverages and sweet, frozen treats, it turns out you are not alone.
A new study in the journal Nature Climate Change found a surprising correlation between hotter temperatures and higher consumption of added sugars.
"Climate change is shaping what you eat and how you eat and that might have a bad effect on your health," said Duo Chan, one of the study's co-authors, according to Phys.org.
What's happening?
In order to better quantify the impact that rising temperatures have on Americans' sugar intakes, the researchers examined purchasing data for tens of thousands of households from 2004 through 2019 and compared it against available weather data.
What they discovered was a strong correlation between hotter temperatures and higher sugar consumption, with the difference being most pronounced among white Americans, poor families, and those with low levels of education. The data also showed that people who worked outdoors tended to drink more sugary beverages than those who worked indoors.
"People tend to take in more sweetened beverages as the temperature is getting higher and higher," Chan said, per Phys.org. "Obviously, under a warming climate that would cause you to drink more or take in more sugar. And that is going to be a severe problem when it comes to health."
The researchers found that the correlation was strongest as the temperature rose from 54 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Phys.org. At temperatures higher than 86 degrees, the heat suppressed people's appetites, and they consumed less food overall.
Why is it important?
Increased sugar consumption, even in relatively small amounts per day, can cause a variety of long-term health problems.
"Excessive consumption of added sugar has substantially increased the risk of obesity, various metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other health complications," the authors wrote.
While Americans in general already consume higher-than-recommended amounts of sugar, the impact of rising temperatures could significantly exacerbate the problem.
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Yes — often 😬 For the poorest Americans, adding just one sugary beverage per day can increase their risk of diabetes by 29%, Robert Lustig, an expert on pediatric health and obesity who was not involved in the study, told Phys.org.
Though the study focused on sugar consumption, the findings served as an important reminder of the numerous, often unforeseen, ways in which rising temperatures can impact human diets.
"Climate affects food consumption and nutrition through multiple pathways," the study stated. "Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns influence crop yields, crop nutrient contents, seafood abundance and distribution, and livestock health and productivity, which impact food prices, nutrient adequacy, and nutrition-associated diseases."
Additionally, as global temperatures rise, extreme weather events become more severe. From storm-related flash floods to heat-fueled wildfires, these disasters can devastate food supplies and disrupt food distribution networks.
What's being done about it?
On an individual level, simply being more mindful about the impact that rising temperatures have on sugar consumption can help people think twice when reaching for sugary beverages or frozen treats.
More broadly, expanding access to healthy, nutritious food options and increasing nutritional awareness, particularly among low-income and undereducated populations, can help to lower the risk of diet-related health problems, regardless of the temperature.
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