Recent studies suggest sugary drink taxes may help reduce obesity rates, but the evidence remains mixed—find out what the latest research reveals. Study: Associations of the Philadelphia sweetened beverage tax with changes in adult body weight: an interrupted time series analysis . Image Credit: VDZ3 Media/Shutterstock.
com A recent study in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas evaluated the impact of the 2017 Philadelphia sweetened beverage taxation on adult weight. Background Consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is related to poor metabolic health and chronic diseases like obesity, cardiovascular disease, and insulin-independent diabetes. Sweetened fluids contribute the most to dietary added sugars.
Interventions aimed at reducing SSB intake may consequently benefit population health. An intervention of this type is the taxing of sugary beverages. The Philadelphia beverage tax, which went into effect on January 1, 2017, is a 1.
5-cent-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and artificially sweetened drinks. The Philadelphia beverage tax has dramatically increased beverage prices and decreased SSB sales, which may enhance health results. However, there is limited research on the influence of beverage taxation on adult weight-management results.
Two studies on children indicated that sweetened beverage tariffs in Mexico and Seattle resulted in slight changes in body weight. A birth certificate-based study found slight post-tax decreases in body weight for the week of .
