How sugary drinks are secretly harming your health?

It is estimated that on average, a Vietnamese person consumes 1 liter of sugary drinks per week - Illustration photo: AFP

Being overweight and obese increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

This is the information sent by Dr. Angela Pratt, Chief Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Office in Vietnam, to a conference providing information to the press about the harmful effects of sugary drinks on health and the role of tax policy in controlling consumption, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications on April 5.

Overweight and obesity increase rapidly

Dr. Angela Pratt said that in Vietnam, the consumption of sugary drinks has increased rapidly over the past 10 years. It is estimated that on average, a Vietnamese person consumes 1 liter of sugary drinks per week.

“So, not surprisingly, we have seen rapid increases in overweight and obesity, particularly among young people.

In cities, more than 1 in 4 young people aged 15-19 are overweight or obese. We need to take decisive action to reverse this negative trend," said Dr Angela Pratt.

Abuse of sugary drinks increases the risk of non-communicable diseases - Photo: BTC

Speaking at the conference, Associate Professor, Dr. Truong Tuyet Mai, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, said that obesity has become a global problem. The rate of overweight and obesity, especially in children, is increasing rapidly, with 1 in 5 children being overweight or obese.

Similarly, in Vietnam, this situation is also increasing rapidly in children. In big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the rate of overweight and obesity in children can reach up to 40%. This figure in adults is 20%, and in some localities it is up to nearly 30%.

Results from valuable studies show that unreasonable use of sugary drinks is the cause of overweight, obesity and a series of other non-communicable diseases.

How harmful are sugary drinks?

According to Associate Professor Mai, studies show that if you drink 1 or more cans of sugary drinks per day, it will increase the risk of many non-communicable diseases. In particular, many studies have shown that sugary drinks increase the risk of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and dental diseases.

Associate Professor Mai cited a study in the US conducted on 106,000 teachers showing that consuming ≥355ml of sugary drinks/day is associated with cardiovascular disease, revascularization and stroke.

In addition, a study in Korea with nearly 2,000 participants showed that consuming a lot of sugary drinks had a 1.21 times higher risk of high blood pressure.

"To limit sugar consumption, we need to consciously limit added sugar, use low-sugar or sugar-free products to ensure the body has a healthy balance of nutrients.

The amount of free sugar consumed per day should not exceed 25g, and we should get into the habit of reading product labels to know how much sugar we are consuming. Children under 2 years old should not consume any food or drink with added sugar," Associate Professor Mai advised.

Nutritional labeling, excise tax

A common measure to reduce the harm caused by sugary drinks around the world is to increase their prices through taxes. More than 100 countries have now imposed excise taxes on these products, said the WHO representative in Vietnam.

Evidence and current experience show that if a tax increases the price of drinks by 10%, people will drink about 11% less. They will switch to healthier drinks like water.

In addition to taxes, WHO also recommends measures including front-of-pack nutrition labelling, advertising restrictions, restrictions on sugary drinks in schools and education on healthy nutrition for children and adolescents.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/do-uong-co-duong-dang-am-tham-gay-hai-suc-khoe-the-nao-20240405180638251.htm