A suggested tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) may reduce obesity in 220,000 adults in South Africa, research by the University of Witwatersrand has found.<\/p>\n
“By instituting a 20 percent tax… it is predicted to reduce energy intake by about 36 kilojoules per day, resulting in a 3.8 percent reduction in obesity in men and a 2.4 percent reduction in obesity in women,” researcher Mercy Manyema said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
This translated to a decrease of more than 220,000 obese adults in South Africa.<\/p>\n
Manyema said it was the responsibility of government to protect the health of its population.<\/p>\n
“One way of doing so is through nudging people to make healthier and more sustainable choices. An SSBs tax has the potential to do this in addressing obesity-related diseases,” said Manyema.<\/p>\n
Research was carried out by academics from the university, and it was published in an open-access journal “Plos One” on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The paper measured the effect of a tax on SSBs on the prevalence of obesity among adults in South Africa.<\/p>\n
It found that taxing SSBs could impact the problem of obesity in the country, particularly in young adults.<\/p>\n
The academics said South Africans had become more obese over the past 30 years, and the country was presently considered the most obese country in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n
Over half of South Africa’s adults were overweight or obese — 42 percent of women and 13 percent of men.<\/p>\n
“While SSBs alone may not be the only reason for an increase in body fat, these fizzy drinks do not contain any essential nutrients, have a high sugar content and a strong link to weight gain,” said senior author of the paper, Professor Karen Hofman.<\/p>\n
“Drinking just one SSB a day increases the likelihood of being overweight by 27 percent for adults and 55 percent for children.”<\/p>\n
The paper follows a recommendation by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi on the need to regulate foods high in sugar to address obesity and its related diseases.<\/p>\n
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