Parents urged to cut sugary drinks from children’s diet

Parents have been advised to cut sugary drinks from their children’s diet and the government has slashed its daily recommended sugar intake by half as part a major new health drive.

Adults and children over 11 years old should consume no more than 30g of sugar a day – less than a single can of Coca Cola – according to long-awaited and final recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

Its final report on Carbohydrates and Health, published today, recommended a significant cut to the amount of sugars people consume as part of their daily calorie intake – halved from 10 per cent to five per cent. The report also recommends that consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks is minimised and fibre increased.

Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive of Public Health England (PHE), said: “One fifth of 10- to 11-year-olds are obese and almost two thirds of adults are overweight or obese and sugary drinks are a major contributor. There is nothing good about a sugary drink, particularly if you are under the age of 11, and we must work together to find ways to wean ourselves from the sugar habit.”

We’re asking parents to take a big step to establish a lifetime of healthy eating habits for their children by replacing sugary drinks

The recommendation on sugars represents a huge challenge to the population, the government and industry, as both young people and adults already exceeded the previous recommendation. Given the serious health implications of being overweight or obese – including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers – PHE is urging parents to take action now, starting with sugary drinks.

Dr Alison Tedstone, Chief Nutritionist at Public Health England, said: “We’re asking parents to take a big step to establish a lifetime of healthy eating habits for their children by replacing sugary drinks with sugar free and no added sugar drinks, lower fat milks or water.

“Sugary drinks have no place in a child’s daily diet, but account for almost a third of their daily sugar intake. Too much sugar leads to excess calorie intake, weight gain and obesity, itself leading to heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes in adults.

“But individual action is just part of the solution. We’re finalising a review of wider factors that influence how much sugar we consume, from marketing and promotions to reformulation and fiscal measures, so we can look at what we can all do to help the country lead healthier lives.”

SACN’s findings are the first wide ranging look at the relationship between sugar consumption and health outcomes in the UK since the 1990s. The report found consuming sugary drinks is leading to unhealthy weight gain in children and young people. For children, too much sugar is linked with a greater risk of tooth decay. In adults, it leads to them consuming too many calories.

Figures from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, referenced in the SACN report, found sugary drinks to be the highest contributor of sugars to the diet of 4- to 10-year-olds:

• 30 per cent from soft drinks and fruit juice
• 29 per cent mainly from biscuits, cakes and breakfast cereals
• 22 per cent from sweets, chocolate, table sugar, jams and other sweet spreads
• 12 per cent from yoghurts, fromage frais, ice-cream, and other dairy desserts.

While PHE has identified cutting sugary drinks as the first step parents can take, updated advice from its childhood obesity prevention campaign, Change4Life, also provides families with advice on how to cut down on other sugary foods. In addition, people are now being strongly advised to have only one 150ml serving of fruit juice or smoothie per day, with a meal, as part of their 5 a day because of the high levels of sugar they contain.

When SACN published its draft report in June 2014, PHE embarked on a review of possible measures to reduce sugar consumption, including reformulation, marketing and promotions of high- sugar food and drink, and fiscal measures, looking at the impact they could have. The government asked PHE to use the evidence from this review to advise on actions it could take to lower sugar consumption, informing its wider obesity and diabetes strategy. PHE is finalising this evidence review and will publish it later this summer.