WHAT’s to be done when one-third of a nation’s children are at risk of becoming obese, and the number of clinically overweight has doubled in 20 years? One option, chosen by the US, is to remove unnecessary high-calorie food from the diet. Last week, major soft-drinks manufacturers accepted a deal to limit sugar-rich drinks sold in school vending machines (see “Sugary drinks leave school”).
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, many of today’s canned drinks are sweetened with an energy-rich form of sugar called high-fructose corn syrup. Some contain the equivalent of 150 kilocalories, or 10 teaspoons of ordinary sugar.
This comes on top of a study in Massachusetts in 2001, which found that daily consumption of a sugary drink raises by 60 per cent the risk that a child will become obese. These drinks also increase the risk of tooth decay, and deprive children of vital minerals, including calcium. Some 40 per cent of peak bone mass is laid down in the school years, and past generations gained much of their calcium from milk. The new deal obliges companies to promote healthier alternatives to sodas, such as water and calcium-rich dairy drinks.
Advertisement
Some commentators complain that the four years companies have to comply is too long, and that fruit juices should also have been restricted, as they can contain as much sugar as fizzy drinks. The deal is nevertheless welcome as a first small step to solving the US obesity problem. Now, about the snacks in those other vending machine…
