Rising Temperatures Could Be Fueling Your Sweet Tooth, Study Finds

Climate change is impacting various aspects of life around the planet. From mangoes growing in whole new regions to seafood becoming far less safe to eat, coffee prices skyrocketing, and peanuts becoming endangered, a warmer planet is clearly causing some very real changes. However, there’s one more thing to consider that you might not have expected: a shift in your sweet tooth.

In September, a team of international researchers published their study in the journal Nature Climate Change, analyzing how changing weather conditions affect consumer spending. To understand these effects, the team examined Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel data, which tracks grocery purchases of 40,000 to 60,000 U.S. households annually. Specifically, they analyzed data from 2004 to 2019, matching it with USDA nutrition databases to calculate the amount of added sugar each household consumed per person. They then matched household purchases with local daily weather data from climate stations. They found a strong correlation between rising temperatures and increased sugar consumption. As temperatures increased from 12°C to 30°C (54°F to 86°F), sugar consumption rose at a rate of 0.70 grams per centigrade. The team stated that this change was “primarily driven by the higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and frozen desserts.” The researchers also projected a “substantial nationwide increase in added sugar consumption” of nearly 3 grams per person per day by 2095. 

“People tend to take in more sweetened beverages as the temperature is getting higher and higher,” Duo Chan, co-author of the study, shared in a statement. “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 study also found that the change was most pronounced in lower-income and lower-education households. The researchers additionally discovered that increases in sugar intake varied by race and ethnicity, with white households exhibiting the most significant changes.

As for how this might impact us in the future, the team projects that “future climate change will aggravate health risks related to added sugar intake, particularly for socio-economically disadvantaged populations whose average daily intake already exceeds 10% of the recommendations from the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and almost 20% of the recommendations from the American Heart Association.”

While the Associated Press noted that the daily sugar intake difference “doesn’t amount to even a single candy bar for the average person,” the study’s findings focus more on the cumulative effect of adding that much sugar each day, similar to climate change itself.

“It should concern us that the rate of the impact is larger in households where people make less money or are less educated,” Dr. Courtney Howard, vice chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, who was not a part of this study, shared with the AP. “These groups tend to have lower baseline health status, so this is an area where climate-related changes appear to magnify existing health inequalities.”

And with the Earth expected to warm by 2.5°C by 2050, things are only looking worse, and not in the good way you want.