ISLAMABAD:The health experts on Tuesday supported tax hikes to reduce consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) and warned that the global studies had found that drinking SSBs increased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than 30%.
These views were expressed during an important session held under the chairmanship of President Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) General (R) Ashraf Khan on the topic of “Prevention of Sweet Drinks by Health Experts and Proposals on Tax Policy”, said a news release.
Speaking on the occasion, President PANAH, General (R) Ashraf Khan thanked the participants and said, “our diet play important part in diseases including heart disease and other diseases.”
“We must pay attention to our diet. One of the major causes of diseases including heart ailments, obesity, diabetes, cancer and other diseases is consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. So avoiding unhealthy foods to prevent disease also includes sugar sweetened beverages.”
On the occasion, Dr. Abdul Qayyum said that with the passage of time human priorities have also changed. “Fresh and natural food has been replaced by unhealthy foods and sugar sweetened beverages.”
Squadron Leader (R) Ghulam Abbas said that Consumption of SSBs was a major cause of heart diseases, diabetes, obesity and other non-communicable diseases, which could be prevented only through effective policy formulation and practical steps.
PANAH General Secretary and Director Operations Sana Ullah Ghumman said that over 300,000 participants in their 11 studies on the link between sugar sweetened beverages and diabetes said that one of the major causes of type 2 diabetes was the use of sugary drinks.
“Consumption of sugary drinks also increases the risk of cancer. Being overweight and obese is a risk factor for 13 of the 15 major types of cancer.”
A comprehensive study found that drinking two or more glasses of sugary drinks a day increased the risk of death by 17%. Drinking one or two glasses of SSBs a day increases the risk of death from digestive diseases by more than 59%. Consumption of sugar in liquid form promotes the use of extra calories, while consumption of sugary drinks is not a part of healthy diet, the experts highlighted.
General Secretary and Director Operations of PANAH, Sana Ullah Ghumman hosted the event. He was accompanied by Dr. Abdul Qayyum, Squadron Leader (R) Ghulam Abbas, Dr Masood Raja, Colonel (R) Ijaz Ahmad Rafi and others.
The session was attended by representatives of Pakistan Medical Association, Family Physician, Ripah University, Heart International Hospital, Rawalpindi Eye Donor Organization (REDO), Thalassemia, Kidney Association, Cardiac Association, Chest Association and a large number of journalists.