There’s no denying that sugar makes food yummy (and makes us happy). Unfortunately, too much of it also brings a whole host of health problems.
This month, our contributing dietitian highlights the hidden sugars in our food and drink, and discusses whether the new tax on sugary drinks will have the desired effect. He also shares the recipes for two fancy drinks (with no added sugar!) that you can make this holiday season.
On November 2, our government announced, for the first time, that a tax will be imposed on sugary drinks from April 2019. Sweetened beverages containing sugar exceeding 5 grams per 100ml and juices with sugar content of more than 12 grams per 100ml will be taxed 40 sen per litre. To get a better perspective, this means one can of regular soda (325ml) and a big bottle of 1.5L soda will be 13 sen and 60 sen more expensive respectively.
This tax is one of the government’s initiatives to tackle the rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the country. Malaysia has the highest overweight and obesity rate in Asia with nearly half of the population in these categories. Being overweight is a main contributing factor to diabetes and has therefore also caused the diabetes rate in Malaysia to climb. In 2016, over 3.6 million Malaysians aged 18 and above were diabetic – that is about 17 percent of the total adult population, an alarming statistic indeed! Other than causing weight gain and promoting diabetes, excessive sugar intake has also been linked to increased risk of heart disease, cognitive decline, dementia, fatty liver (a condition in which excessive fat builds up in the liver) and cavities too.
WE CONSUME MORE SUGAR THAN WE REALIZE
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Esta historia es de la edición December 2018 de Health Today Malaysia.
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