Jun 30, 2015 06:09 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Sodas, fruit drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages could be killing you, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts found that sugary drinks may be responsible for an estimated 184,000 deaths each year worldwide. Sugar-sweetened drinks were also linked to 25,000 American deaths, The Los Angeles Times reported.

"Many countries in the world have a significant number of deaths occurring from a single dietary factor, sugar-sweetened beverages. It should be a global priority to substantially reduce or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet,"  Dariush Mozaffarian, senior author of the study and dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, said in a statement.

For the study, researchers looked at 62 dietary surveys including 611,971 individuals that were conducted between 1980 and 2010 across 51 countries, along with data on national availability of sugar. They used this data to calculate the direct impact sugary beverages have on diabetes and its obesity-related effects on cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

According to CBS News, researchers found that sugary drinks were responsible for 133,000 deaths from diabetes, 45,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 6,450 deaths from cancer.

Of the 51 countries examined, researchers found that Mexico had the highest death rate attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages at 405 deaths per million adults, 24,000 total deaths, Forbes reported. The United States ranked second with an estimated 125 deaths per million adults, 25,000 total deaths.

"Some population dietary changes, such as increasing fruits and vegetables, can be challenging due to agriculture, costs, storage, and other complexities. This is not complicated. There are no health benefits from sugar-sweetened beverages, and the potential impact of reducing consumption is saving tens of thousands of deaths each year," Mozaffarian said.

The findings are detailed in the journal Circulation.

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