Scientists have offered to limit and impose with extra tax products that contain sugar by the example of tobacco and alcohol

February 20, 2012

Reason of many chronic diseases and cases of premature death is sugar that is added to foodstuff and beverages that are subject to processing treatment - that is opinion of group of scientists from Californian University with Dr. Robert Lastig in head. Their article, as it is informed in the blog of Los Angeles Times web-site, was published in "Nature" magazine.

Authors of this research call to introduce legislative regulation of sugar turnover as it is made with tobacco products and alcohol. The question is not about prohibition of sugar consumption or excluding it entirely out of ration. Robert Lastig, Laura Schmidt and Clare Brandis consider the threat only "added sugars", i.e. "any sweeteners that contain fructose molecule and those that are added to foodstuff during processing treatment".

Noncontagious diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer for today are considered by UNO the main source of threat for public health. Increase in quantity of these diseases is directly connected to smoking, alcohol consumption and dietary preferences of people, however only tobacco and alcohol are the regulation entities, authors dwell.

Then The Los Angeles Times cite a quotation: "There are reliable evidences that both for alcohol and tobacco strategies of gentle control "from part of offer" that no way reaches the whole ban (taxation, distribution control, age restrictions), reduce also consumption volumes of these products and respective health loss. Hence, we offer to impose with extra tax products that were subject to processing treatment, that contain added sugars in one form or another".

Authors also consider reasonable use of other instruments of control, up to "restriction, but ideally - prohibition of TV advertisement of products that contain added sugars".