Added sugar, when consumed in excess, is very detrimental to human health. It can cause very serious health issues, such as obesity and diabetes. While many brush them off, assuming that they will never be one of those afflicted, they are very real health issues.
Added sugar has been linked to an increased chance of developing obesity. A Tufts University review of studies published over 17 years found that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was the most consistent dietary factor associated with weight gain (Geller). While many people blame overall diet as a a major factor, this suggests that there is a common thread in those diets; sugar-sweetened beverage happen to be one of them.
For most people, weight gain or loss is a matter of input vs output. If you want to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume. Science has shown us that all calories count-regardless of the source- when it comes to weight gain or loss (Douglas) According to the National Cancer institute, soft drinks, sports drinks, sweetened waters and energy drinks combined account for only 5.5 percent of the American diet, but according to (2012), sugar-sweetened beverages account for 33 percent of the added sugar in said diet.
Children, Adolescents, and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
One of the benefits of this tax is the effect it will have on the consumptions of these drinks by children and adolescents. In recent years, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among children and adolecents has escalated with boys aged 12-19 years old consuming an average of 22.0 ounces of these drinks per day and girls consuming 14.3 ounces a day (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). By increasing the price of the drinks through a tax, the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed by this age range could fall, which would not only help the formation of better eating habits, but would also help reduce their risk of becoming overweight or obese. It would also help curb recreational consumption which is overall a good thing because children who drink sugar-sweetened beverages between meals bear more than double the risk of becoming overweight compared to those who do not (California Center for Public Health Advocacy). Just like any other substance, sugar-sweetened beverages are habit forming.
A study found that children and adolescents, who place a higher value on present satisfaction while more heavily discounting future preferences are more willing to purchase sodas even if they are conscious of the fact that soft drinks ultimately harm them in the long run (Brownell). This further helps demonstrate the fact that these age groups have little impulse control, and as a result it can be concluded that they have little impulse control. This supports the idea that while drinking soda may be a choice for adults, it’s not always a choice for children and adolescents; it can be a real addiction. Taxing them would be a preventative measure to stop the habit from expanding.
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and the Average American
According to the American Heart Association, one 12 ounce soda contains 8 teaspoons of sugar, more than the recommended daily amount for women, and almost reaching the daily recommended sugar intake for men (American Heart Association). The fact that Americans receive 33% of their added sugars from soda tells us that as a country we consume too much of it. Added sugars, when consumed excessively can have the same effect on the body that excessive alcohol consumption can.
Because of the effects added sugar can have on the human body, some people choose to see it as a toxic substance. Part of the problem with it is the fact that it permeates a lot of the food we consume. Because of this, we cannot escape added sugar, we eventually have to consume it. The trick to managing how much of it we consume is to actually read and understand both the nutritional information on food items and to read what ingredients are in it. Because they list the ingredients in the order of percentage, the first few ingredients will be what mainly constitutes the food item, so the further down the list a form of added sugar is, the less of it that is in said food item.
Being aware of what is in the foods we eat is should be very important to everyone. Knowledge about what you put in your body is the first step in curbing your intake of added sugar, which leads to a lower chance for developing obesity. After all, the older you get, the harder it is to lose weight.