As the saying goes, “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down”. We used to bribe our children with a spoonful of sugar (or sweets) as a treat after taking their medicine.
Now the tables have turned and we need medicines like insulin to cure diseases such as diabetes caused by the excessive consumption of sugar. The damaging impact of sugar on people’s health, especially type - 2 diabetes and obesity is becoming a cause of great concern.
It is reported that one regular size (330 ml) can of a soft drink contains as much as 9 teaspoons of sugar. As sugar in fizzy drinks is one of the biggest contributors to childhood obesity and diabetes, the chancellor has decided to take drastic measures by putting up taxes on sugary drinks. Any fizzy drink with more than five grams of sugar per 100 ml will attract additional taxes.
However, would raising taxes put people off from consuming sugary drinks? How about the sugar we consume in our tea or coffee?
Britain, being a nation of tea lovers, we probably consume more sugar in the large amount of tea we drink every day. We are so used to the taste of sugar that it has become an addiction and we want more and more of it.
Hence taxing on sugary drinks may be a waste of time. We need to educate people to slowly cut down. For people with a sweet tooth, diet drinks containing sweeteners may be an alternative.
Dinesh Sheth
Newbury Park, Ilford
