Just when everyone was busy preparing New Year health resolutions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made an announcement urging governments to strengthen taxes on sugary drinks.“Sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages are getting cheaper, due to consistently low tax rates in most countries, fueling obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancers and injuries, especially in children and young adults,” the WHO said in a news release on Tuesday.“Health taxes are one of the strongest tools we have for promoting health and preventing disease,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “By increasing taxes on products like tobacco, sugary drinks, and alcohol, governments can reduce harmful consumption and unlock funds for vital health services.”What does the UN health agency mean by sugary drinks? This includes sodas, fruit juices, sweetened milk drinks, and ready-to-drink coffees and teas. It found that “sugary drink taxes are weak and poorly targeted with the median tax accounting for only about 2% of the price of a common sugary soda and often applying only to a subset of beverages, missing large parts of the market.”

These are the biggest supplier of hidden sugar in our daily diet

“With the rise of childhood obesity and early onset diabetes, the WHOs recommendation to increase taxes on sugary drinks is both timely and needed. Sugary drinks are often the largest supplier of “hidden sugar” in children’s diets, providing high calorie counts with low or no nutritional value. When consumed regularly, they create repeated spikes in blood sugar & added weight gain, often resulting in an increase of early insulin resistance — and are thus a pre-cursor for Type 2 diabetes far earlier than adulthood,” Dr. Vivek Jain, Senior Director & Unit Head – Paediatrics, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh told TOI Health.“When considering these beverages from a child’s perspective, the greatest risk associated with their intake is the long-lasting negative effects they will have on a child’s body through metabolic damage. Children who begin consuming high-sugar-content beverages early in their lives will develop a predisposition to consume these high-sugar-laden products throughout their adulthood, which places them at greater risk for developing diabetes, fatty liver disease, or heart disease,” he highlighted.

A leap of health

“The promotion of enhanced taxation of sugary products by the WHO is an appropriate, science-driven public health measure. The excessive intake of sugar has been identified to contribute to the growing prevalence of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dental diseases in low- and middle-income countries, which are escalating at an alarming rate. Studies have established that sugar sweetened beverage taxes offer effective remedies in reducing their overall consumption, especially among children, in addition to generating funds for enhanced preventive healthcare measures. Apart from shaping consumer practices, fiscal policies have become important drivers to persuade manufacturers to change, particularly in countries such as India, to contain the escalating cases of non-communicable diseases,” Dr. Sanjeeva Kumar Gupta, Consultant, Dept of Cardiology at the CK Birla Hospital, Delhi told TOI Health.“If the taxes on sugary drinks are too high, people might choose healthier drinks like water, milk, and fresh fruit juices that don’t have any added sugar. When these taxes are used wisely to make school lunches better and teach kids about health, they start a strong cycle that helps kids eat better, stay healthy, and grow over time,” said Dr. Rajiv Chhabra, Chief, Pediatrics Artemis Hospitals Gurgaon.“Taxation cannot solve the problem alone; it needs to be part of a broader strategy that includes better food labelling, the banning of marketing sugary drinks to children, and making sure parents and schools are aware of the risks. Protecting children from excess sugar is one of the most effective methods of preventing lifestyle related diseases. The introduction of policy based interventions, such as the taxation of sugary drinks, helps to create a healthier generation,” says Dr Vivek.