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A high level of free sugar consumption has been associated with NCDs because of its association with obesity |
A high level of free sugar consumption has been associated with NCDs because of its association with obesity and poor dietary quality; worse, after 2 decades, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Vietnam has increased tenfold, from about 6 liters per person in 2002, to nearly 56 liters per person in 2021.
According to the Ministry of Health, sugar-sweetened drinks include carbonated soft drinks, non-carbonated soft drinks, instant coffee, instant tea, flavored water, flavored milk, and energy drinks. If in 2002, a Vietnam person averagely drank 6.04 liters of sugary drinks, but they drank 55.78 liters in 2021.
In addition, a Vietnamese person averagely consumes about 46.5g of sugar per day, close to the maximum limit of 50g of sugar per day, and nearly twice as high as recommended by the World Health Organization.
Doctor Nguyen Trong Hung, Head of the National Institute of Nutrition's Department of Nutrition Examination and Counseling, said that soft drinks contain a lot of sugar, which makes the body absorb quickly a lot of unnecessary energy. In addition, some sugary drinks contain caffeine and some electrolytes.
In fact, the abuse of sugary drinks is not only harmful to health but also affects socio-economic development. According to Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen, Vietnam is currently facing a serious increase in non-communicable diseases, accounting for 70 percent of the total disease burden nationwide. Non-communicable diseases also are the leading cause of death. It is estimated that every year, deaths from non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes account for 77 percent of the total number of deaths nationwide.
Associate Professor Truong Tuyet Mai, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, recommends children from 2 to 11 years old and teens consume less than 25 grams of sugar a day, and limit to no more than 235ml of sugary drinks a week. In particular, children under 2 years old should not be consuming any added sugar at all.
Along with that, the rate of overweight and obesity in the country has increased 7 times in adolescents aged 5-19 years (from 2.6 percent in 2002 to 19 percent in 2020) and doubled in adults (from 10.9 percent in 2002 to 18.3 percent in 2016).
Excessive unhealthy food and sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption has been linked to weight gain. In particular, the rate of overweight and obese people in urban areas has reached 26.8 percent while they are 18.3 percent and 6.9 percent in rural areas and mountainous areas respectively.
'Consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks resulted in a higher risk of overweight/obesity - the cause of many non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart disease; age rejuvenation, myocardial infarction, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes; therefore, there should be a solution to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks with the aim to reduce the rate of diseases and deaths as well as protect children's health', emphasized Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen.
Meanwhile, Ms. Lesley Miller, acting Chief Representative of the United Nations Children's Fund in Vietnam, said that Obese children are more likely to become obese adults and suffer lifelong physical and increase risk of non-communicable diseases.
Many reports and studies show that the consumption of sugary drinks contributes to weight gain in both adults and children. Therefore, the measure of increasing tax on sugary drinks helps bring benefits from many sides, not only in terms of health but also in revenue for the budget. At the same time, Vietnamese parents also need to raise awareness for young children, so that they can choose healthy products when they are informed about the product's nutrition.
Health experts believe that reducing sugary drinks can contribute to reducing the rate of overweight, obesity, blood sugar disorders, blood fats, and hypertension. If young people like to drink soft drinks, they should practice looking at product labels. For unlabeled packages, they should be used sparingly. Young people should also have a habit of undertaking health checkups ensuring to keep a track of their body and weight monitoring because metabolic diseases are related to weight.
