Fresh calls for a sugar tax of 20 PER CENT as it’s revealed Australian teenagers consume a whopping 5kg a year in drinks alone

TITA SMITH
25 SEPTEMBER 2019
DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Australian study has found  one in six teens consumes 5.2kgs of sugar in drinks

Cancer Council research found boys and low socio-economic areas more prone

Since findings, they have called on the federal government to implement a tax

There are new calls to introduce a sugar tax of 20 per cent after a survey revealed Australian teenagers are consuming staggering amounts each year.

A study of 9,000 youths found one in six guzzle a minimum of 5.2kg of sugar yearly through sweetened beverages alone.

The Cancer Council Australia’s National Secondary Student’s Diet and Activity survey found boys are the biggest consumers of sugary drinks, with 22 per cent ingesting over a litre per week.)

About 11 per cent of girls drank the same amount, while youngsters from low socio-economic areas were more likely to consume higher quantities.  

Cancer Council Nutrition expert Clare Hughes told 7News the results are ‘alarming’.

‘Sugary drinks contribute the most added sugar to Australians’ diets and the news that one in six teens consume more than 5kg of sugar each year through sugar-sweetened beverages alone is alarming,’ she said.

‘Sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drink, cordial and sports drinks, are energy dense but provide no nutritional value to our diet.

‘When we consume more kilojoules than our body needs this can lead to weight gain and obesity later in life.’  

The Cancer Council has urged the federal government to implement a 20 per cent sugar levy and to improve regulation of junk food marketing. 

A UK study saw obesity rates drop by 2 per cent when a 20 per cent tax increase was placed on sweets. 

Excessive sugar intake is linked to obesity, a leading risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and 13 types of cancer.