Forget the chips and chocolates, Americans are drinking themselves into obesity, a top nutritionist has said. He believes taxing sugary soft drinks is key to slowing the trend.
Americans are drinking more sugary drinks than ever before, taking in hundreds of excess calories a day, according to Barry Popkin, the director of the University of North Carolina's Interdisciplinary Obesity Center.
In 1965, the average American took in about 234 calories from drinks each day, compared to an average of 451 calories in 2002, Popkin said.
PHOTO: AFP
People are drinking more sodas, fruit juices and sugary energy drinks, but they are still eating the same amount of calories from food as they used to.
“We are drinking ourselves into obesity” he said.
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that 65 percent of American adults are either overweight or obese. The percentage of young people who are overweight or obese has more than tripled since the 1980s.
Popkin said governments should consider taxing sugary beverages, as is done with cigarettes or alcohol.
“If you doubled the price ... of a regular Coke, people would drink Diet Coke or water, or milk or juice or something.”
But John Foreyt, a researcher with the Behavioral Medicine Research Center in Houston, Texas, said sugar is only one factor in the obesity problem.
“I think the answer to ... healthy lifestyle is balance and variety and moderation,” said Foreyt, who was speaking at a pre-conference breakfast organized by Coca-Cola.(AP)
一位首屈一指的營養學家表示,忘了馬鈴薯片與巧克力吧,美國人是自己喝胖的。他相信,對含糖的碳酸飲料課稅是減緩肥胖趨勢的關鍵所在。
據北卡羅萊納大學的跨學科肥胖中心主任貝瑞.波普金表示,美國人飲用含糖飲料量創下新高,每日多攝取了數百卡路里。
波普金表示,在一九六五年,美國人平均每人每日從飲料中攝取兩百三十四卡路里,到了二○○二年,平均值卻變成四百五十一卡。
人們喝了更多蘇打飲料、果汁與含糖的機能飲料,但自食物中攝取的卡路里量卻與過去沒兩樣。
他說︰「我們是喝胖的。」
美國疾病管制與預防中心表示,65%的美國成年人不是過重就是肥胖。年輕人過重或肥胖的比例自一九八○年代以來已逾三倍。
波普金表示,政府應考慮對含糖飲料課稅,就如同課菸酒稅一樣。
「假如讓一般可樂的售價貴一倍,民眾就會改喝健怡可樂、水、牛奶、果汁或其他飲品。」
不過德州休士頓的行為醫學研究中心的研究員約翰.佛瑞耶表示,糖份是肥胖問題的唯一成因。
在某場由可口可樂規劃的會前早餐上,佛瑞耶說︰「我認為健康生活方式的解答就是平衡、多樣性與節制。」
(美聯社/翻譯︰賴美君)
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