Policymakers should understand the urge to drink soft drinks is genetically determined, rather than being solely a lifestyle choice, argue endocrinologists from the Garvin Institute of Medical Research.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year showed a direct correlation between consumption of sugary soft drinks, obesity and genetic predisposition to weight gain.
Now, Associate Professor Jerry Greenfield has joined other researchers from the Garvan Institute in calling for more attention to be given to the genetic factors behind obesity.
They argue if policymakers better understand the drive to eat is not a factor that people can easily overcome, it might help inform public health policy.
“Policy should reflect the scientific basis of food intake – in other words, people who eat too much and put on weight are not just over consuming because they are greedy, they actually have a very strong drive to eat,” Professor Greenfield said.
The call comes as three major Australian health organisations have stepped up efforts to tackle the consumption of sugary drinks with the launch of a television campaign.
“Sugary drinks shouldn’t be part of a daily diet… yet they’re being consumed at levels that can lead to serious health issues for the population,” said Craig Sinclair, chair of the Public Health Committee at Cancer Council Australia.
The Cancer Council, together with Diabetes Australia and the National Heart Foundation, are calling on the Federal Government to implement restrictions on the marketing of sugary drinks to children, and also want Treasury to investigate a tax on sugary drinks.
A 2007 survey found almost half of children aged 2 to 16 consumed sugary drinks daily.
There is some evidence, however, that a growing number of Australians are cutting back on sugar consumption.
A survey of 1,511 Australians conducted late last year by Goulburn Valley found 72% were aware of the “sugar is bad for you” debate, and half those surveyed with young families (mainly preschool aged children) agreed you should limit your fruit consumption to cut down on sugar intake.
The official Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends adults consume between two and five serves of fruit a day, depending on age and gender.
Aden Date
Manager of the Guild Volunteer Hub at University of Western Australia
"...people who eat too much and put on weight are not just over consuming because they are greedy, they actually have a very strong drive to eat,”
I have to wonder if the difference between a "strong drive," and "greedy," is that the former term is associated with genetic markers said to predict psychological variables, whereas the latter is thought to be a psychological variable arising out of a person's "free will," to which they can be held accountable. Implicit is the idea that we cannot pass…
Read moreSarah Turner
logged in via Facebook
I am all for the public being made aware of the health problems associated with sugary drinks (and food in general).
However, alongside this should be information about the dangers of consuming 'sugar free' foods and drinks ie synthetic sugars.
One shouldn't replace the other.
Providing the government discuss the dangers of both then this will be effective. If people simply substitute coke for coke zero then this defeats the purpose...they will not be any healthier.
Geoff Taylor
Consultant
Many soft drinks where people still prefer sugar to other sweeteners could have the sugar content cut by half and still be pleasantly sweet to the taste rather than sickly sweet, as many are at present. Also that would cut ingredient costs.
One company is making a virtue in its advertising of a one third sugar reduction.
John Zigar
Researcher
As I have remarked in previous posts, and I speak from experience here, I was relatively skinny until six years ago. I have since almost doubled my body weight. Being skinny or trim for over 40 years meant rigorous daily exercise and starvation. Many people still don’t get it that DNA is very powerful. When I was younger, I was very determined to look my best and I was prepared to suffer for it. I ate very few and very small portions of healthy food. Now that I am older, I am too tired to exercise…
Read moreRobert Peers
General Practitioner
Medicine, as usual, can describe--but only science can explain. There is no evidence at all that genes drive common over-eating: genetic obesity is quite rare, as any endocrinologist should realise. What is known is that binge-eating and obesity can be caused by anxiety disorder, which affects about 1 in 4 Westerners. Anxiety is now known to be caused by fatty maternal diet during pregnancy [S Bilbo; E Sullivan], and the same diet, when fed to pregnant rats, causes the offspring to binge-eat [S Leibowitz;…
Read moreNorman taylor
worrier
I remember back in the 1970s or 1980s (I think it was) when the idea of banning the sale of soft drinks at schools was raised.
The softdrink manufacturers actually said (something like) "If we don't get them hooked when they are teens, they we will never get them hooked".
The next day, their comments were not quite so direct.