Taxing the dose of calories in sugary drinks could help reduce obesity
Thursday, July 16, 2015 - 09:30
in Health & Medicine
A tax on sugary drinks that depends on the number of calories or amount of sugar per liter could help fight obesity, suggests new research. While a few countries are already trialing a tax on sugary drinks, taxing the dose would encourage drinks companies to offer low-calorie alternatives Worldwide, an estimated 1.9 billion adults are overweight, and of these 600 million are obese. Obesity increases the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes; in the US alone, obesity-related healthcare costs around $200 billion a year. Due to their high sugar content and low nutritional value, there is growing concern that sugary drinks are a significant contributor to obesity.