A lack of access to clean drinking water has caused a generation of people in Mexico to become addicted to sugary drinks. And one step closer to diabetes. Mexico is one of the largest countries in Latin America. It also has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the region. 10 to 13 million Mexicans are suffering either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is one of the principal causes of death in country. And it hasn’t just impacted urban areas.   

In the mountains in Chiapas, for example, diabetes in the indigenous communities is rising every year and is now one of the top three causes of death. In these remote areas, water shortages are routine. Many residents and businesses have resorted to buying water pumped from springs and transporting it great distances. Before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Mexico, Correspondent Harris Whitbeck travelled there to report on its cultural affinity for sugared soft drinks.