Obesity and soft drinks don’t add up
Carbonated soft drinks volumes are relatively stable in many countries and in long term decline in the United States.
Calories in soft drinks are falling on both sides of the Atlantic.
Yet obesity is not following a similar path anywhere, as far as I am aware.
The obesity figures recently reported in The Sunday Times are quite shocking:
• For adults in the United States, up from 23% in 1991 to 38% in 2014.
• For adults in the United Kingdom, up from 14% in 1991 to 27% in 2015.
• For children aged 12 to 15 in America 21% aged 11 to 15 in England 23%.
• For children aged 9 to 11 in America 18% and aged 10 and 11 in England 20%.
• For children aged 2 to 19 in America 29%, UK 28%, Ireland 27%, France 18% and Japan 14%.
The UK Government forecasts that 50% of UK adults will be obese by 2050, costing £10 billion a year in health service provision and £50 billion a year to the wider economy.
The figures will only slim down if policies are given added weight.
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