Lose weight with higher taxes on Sugar sweetened beverages
October 05, 2009: Obesity is a growing problem across the world. One of the factors attributed to weight gain is the increase in the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. These beverages add a lot of calories to our body that are not utilized immediately and tend to get collected as fat. Educational institutions, non-profit organizations and government bodies have been issuing various guidelines and educational materials about the ways to avoid obesity. However, the effect seems to be very minimal.
After trying to educate people about the ill effects of obesity, governments in the countries such as the USA are following a new method that has dual effect; tax!
Yes, it is already active in about 33 states in the US wherein about 5.2% tax is being levied upon the soft drinks. The concept behind this is both to decrease the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages and also to gather economical benefits. Researchers estimate that introducing a national tax of about 1 cent per ounce on the sugar-sweetened beverages would raise about $14.9 billion within a span of 1 year! This is being proposed as a way to generate revenues as well as create awareness among the people about the ill effects of the sugar sweetened beverages.
Obesity has been noted to increase the risk of occurrence of a number of disorders including diabetes, heart disorders, high blood pressure, stroke and many others. Methods to prevent obesity which includes avoidance of sugar sweetened beverages must be strictly followed. Sugar sweetened beverages can not only be heavy on the weighing scales, it may also become heavy on your pockets! Get smart. Stop consuming sugar sweetened beverages, save money and also lose weight!
Source: Brownell KD, Farley T, Willett WC, et al. The Public Health and Economic Benefits of Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages. N Engl J Med. 2009 Sep 16. [Epub ahead of print]
Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last updated: October 05,2009