International study links soft drink consumption to teen obesity
In the first international study of its kind, soft drink consumption is being linked to obesity in teenagers. Researchers examined the drinking habits of half a million children in more than 100 countries and found those who drank more soft drink were more overweight.
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00:00 Consumption is high. Around half of adolescent boys consume sugary drinks 60% of the time.
00:13 So consumption is high. Those children have high rates of overweight and obesity as well.
00:21 And we know this is more evidence showing that relationship. And together with the other
00:26 evidence that we have, we know that drinking these drinks leads to overweight and obesity,
00:31 which leads to diseases such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers and heart disease, as well as
00:37 dental health issues. So it's really important that government makes policies that will protect
00:43 children from the harms of these types of products.
00:47 But is consumption of these drinks among teenagers rising, Jane?
00:51 We haven't had data on that, but we know it's high and we know that sugary drink companies
00:56 market very aggressively to this group, including energy drinks such as Prime, for example.
01:03 We know that's taken this group by storm. So we know that they're a very important market
01:09 for the companies and they market to them accordingly and it works. So we're waiting
01:15 for the latest dietary surveys to come out. But I think any parent will tell you they
01:20 know that their children are drinking a lot of these drinks and a lot of that's happening
01:24 in sports clubs and places like that.
01:26 What about the reduced sugar or even no sugar version of soft drinks? Do they make a difference?
01:33 They have been thought to make a difference, but we've just had data coming out of the
01:36 World Health Organization, which shows that they're called non-nutritive sweeteners in
01:41 these drinks can be harmful. So the advice is to drink water is the best choice. In Australia,
01:48 we have good quality water, not like other countries, low and middle income countries.
01:53 So we have a good source of something that's free and good for your health, good for your
01:57 teeth. So the advice would be to drink water and not switch from high sugar to artificially
02:04 sweetened drinks.
02:05 So, Jane, what's your response to arguments from the beverage industry that obesity is
02:09 multifactorial, that sugar levels in soft drinks have been declining and that soft drinks
02:15 aren't a problem if consumed in moderation?
02:18 Well, the sugar in soft drinks is still very high. And what we found in countries like
02:24 the UK, where they've implemented a levy on sugary drinks to encourage reformulation,
02:30 that has happened. There are some changes in the market where people are consuming more
02:35 low and no sugar drinks because they're concerned about the health effects of sugar in these
02:40 drinks, which are, as I've said, harmful to health. So those changes are happening in
02:46 the marketplace. But the major product consumed is high sugar products. And we haven't seen
02:52 the same reformulation as we've seen in a country like the UK, where they've levelled
02:57 the playing field and encouraged and incentivised reformulation. The changes have happened very,
03:03 very quickly and rapidly. And as a result, people are consuming a lot less sugar, which
03:08 is really important for their health. And now we're starting to see some health outcomes
03:12 from that in Mexico around dental health and in the UK, with a reduction in some age groups
03:19 of obesity.
03:20 So, there are growing calls for a sugar tax on fizzy drinks here. Why hasn't that been
03:24 implemented?
03:25 Well, there's a lot of opposition from the beverages industry around these types of policies.
03:32 They're very active advocating against these kinds of incentives and changes, because they
03:38 know it's likely to reduce their profits. But I think at a time like this, where we
03:43 know that overweight and obesity is about to take over tobacco as the leading risk factor
03:48 for preventable death and disease in Australia, followed by diet, we really need to be looking
03:53 at how can we address these issues. And in the same way that we did a package of policies
04:01 to reduce tobacco consumption in Australia, we need to look at protecting children from
04:06 the marketing of unhealthy food, putting a health levy on sugary drink companies to encourage
04:11 them and incentivise them to reformulate and reduce the sugar in these drinks. We need
04:17 better labelling of packaged foods to support people to choose healthier options and really
04:24 make it clear and easy. So, creating healthy environments for Australians rather than putting
04:30 the profits and interests of the processed food industry above those of our health.
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