Dental News - Sugary drink taxes decrease consumption of beverages, study finds

Dental Tribune International

Fri. 5. July 2019

save

WELLINGTON, New Zealand: Increased intake of sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dental caries, excess weight gain and numerous other obesity‐related diseases. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended SSB taxation to reduce consumption. A systematic review by researchers from the University of Otago has evaluated whether such a tax does indeed have an impact on purchasing and dietary behaviour.

According to lead author Dr Andrea Teng, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Public Health at the university’s Wellington campus, the research takes a new approach by combining multiple studies examining the real-world impact of sugary drink taxes on sales, purchases and dietary intake before and after taxes were imposed, and between taxed and untaxed settings.

“This new review presents compelling evidence that sugary drink taxes result in decreased sales, purchasing or dietary intake of taxed beverages. For a 10% tax, sugary drink volumes declined by an average of 10%,” said Teng. “It shows taxes on sugary drinks are an effective tool to reduce consumption, and we know from other research that the high consumption of sugary drinks increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and dental caries,” she continued.

Co-author of the review Dr Amanda Jones, also a research fellow at the department, said that all the individual studies in the review found a reduction in sugary drink consumption, but the impact in some settings was greater than others. Applying tax by thresholds of sugar content, rather than as a percentage of price, appeared to be important for determining a more favourable impact.

WHO recommends governments impose a 20% tax on sugary drinks, saying the evidence for reduced consumption and meaningful health effects is strongest for this food category.

The study, titled “Impact of sugar‐sweetened beverage taxes on purchases and dietary intake: Systematic review and meta‐analysis”, was published online in Obesity Reviews on 19 June 2019, ahead of inclusion in an issue.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

Study finds sugary drinks not necessarily linked to childhood obesity

NOTTINGHAM, UK: Given what we know about the relationship between rates of obesity and sugar consumption, it would seem to be common sense that children who...

Study finds regular consumption of stimulants affects saliva

VALENCIA, Spain: Studies on the effects that alcohol, tobacco and caffeine have on the biological and microbiological status of the oral cavity have shown ...

Health labels may deter people from buying sugary drinks, study finds

MELBOURNE, Australia: In an effort to deter people from smoking, cigarette packets are labelled with warnings and graphic images. In a new study, ...

Poor water quality may be factor in high consumption of sugary drinks

CANBERRA, Australia: The poor state of Australians’ oral health has received much needed attention over recent years. For some Aboriginal and Torres ...

Sugary beverage consumption in US declining, but high among certain groups

BOSTON, U.S.: Consumption of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) fell for both children and adults between 2003 and 2014, according to a new ...

Researchers find extra 100 ml of sugary drink can increase risk of diabetes

LONDON, UK: In a further development in the fight against sugary drinks, the Oral Health Foundation has called for people in Britain to change their habits ...

Tax on sugary beverages positively affects oral health

BRISBANE , Australia: Despite a clear causal link between frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and dental disease, little is known about...

Study finds decrease in opioid prescriptions in under 18-year-olds

NEW YORK, U.S.: The over-prescription of opioids in the United States is a subject that has been addressed significantly in recent years. An issue that is ...

Singapore to ban advertisement of certain sugary drinks

SINGAPORE: Excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) can have a deleterious effect not just on oral health but on systemic health ...

NZ government considers better labelling of sugary drinks

AUCKLAND, New Zealand: The current state of the oral health of some New Zealanders has been likened to that of developing countries. With many contributing ...

Education

Live webinar
Fri. 26 April 2024
12:00 pm EST (New York)