UK teenager sugar intake equivalent to cola bath

A Cancer Research UK study has claimed that UK teenagers drink enough sugar every year to fill a bathtub with fizzy cola.

Analysing data from the 2015 National Diet and Nutrition survey, the charity found that, despite some improvement in 2014, children of all ages were still consuming too much sugar in drinks.

Despite a government promised tax on sugary drinks in England, four to 10 year-olds are drinking the equivalent of almost half a bathtub full of sugary drinks each year, consuming twice the maximum recommended amount of added sugar.

Obese children are around five times more likely to grow into obese adults, and carrying too much weight increases the risk of cancer as well as other diseases.

Alison Cox, director of prevention at Cancer Research UK, said: “It’s shocking that teenagers are drinking the equivalent of a bathtub of sugary drinks a year.

“We urgently need to stop this happening and the good news is that the government’s sugar tax will play a crucial role in helping to curb this behaviour. The ripple effect of a small tax on sugary drinks is enormous, and it will give soft drinks companies a clear incentive to reduce the amount of sugar in drinks. When coupled with the government’s plan to reduce sugar in processed food, we could really see an improvement to our diets.

“But the government can do more to give the next generation a better chance, by closing the loop hole on junk food advertising on TV before the 9pm watershed. The UK has an epidemic on its hands, and needs to act now.”