A tax on sugary drinks in Egypt could reduce disease and save US$1.8 billion in healthcare costs: modelling study

Non-communicable diseases – heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer – are no longer just a rich-country problem. Across Africa, they are becoming the leading cause of death, driven in part by a simple and overlooked culprit: what people drink. Globally, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cardiovascular disease cases were attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages in 2020 alone, with the highest burdens falling on sub-Saharan Africa. A recent time-series study across…