With just weeks to go until David Cameron launches his long-awaited childhood obesity strategy (Report,18 January), plus growing evidence that senior ministers are now considering a tax on sugary drinks to relieve tackle the obesity crisis, and we urge the government to include the sugar tax as section of its comprehensive method. It has a unique opportunity to produce a coherent,structured evidence-based method to prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay conditions that are preventable if the food environment is changed.Current policies are ineffective and we urgently require policies that work. Unequivocal evidence from other countries has shown that a sugar tax duty on soft drinks will reduce sales of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, or particularly among the more socially deprived who are more likely to develop obesity and type 2 diabetes. The tax will encourage behavioural change for those who drink sugar-sweetened soft drinks to either change to an artificially sweetened drink (which is lower in calories than sugar-sweetened) or to drink water – an even better option.
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Source: theguardian.com