"Pan He, an environmental scientist at Cardiff University in Wales, hit on the idea to look at the inverse relationship: how rising temperatures affect food consumption. She and her colleagues decided to focus on sugar because its overconsumption is a known problem in the U.S. and is linked to diabetes, heart disease and certain kinds of cancer. The researchers paired temperature data with a unique dataset that showed household grocery purchases around the U.S."
"They found little difference in consumption below 12 degrees Celsius (about 54 degrees Fahrenheit). But between that temperature and 30 degrees C (86 degrees F), something happened: consumption increased by 0.7 gram per degree C. There was a slowdown above 30 degrees C, which the study authors posit could be related to extreme heat often suppressing appetite. Most of the overall increase came from beverages with added sugar, such as sodas or fruit drinks,"
Rising temperatures in the U.S. are associated with increased sugar consumption, according to analysis of household grocery purchases from 2004–2019. Consumption showed little change below 12°C, then rose by about 0.7 gram per °C between 12°C and 30°C, with a slowdown above 30°C possibly due to suppressed appetite in extreme heat. The increase was driven largely by sugary beverages such as sodas and fruit drinks. Researchers paired temperature records with purchase data and used purchases as a proxy for consumption. The temperature-linked rise in sugar intake disproportionately affected certain demographic groups and poses amplified health risks as the climate warms.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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