A Health Promotion Administration (HPA) survey shows that many people often drink sweetened beverages, which could increase the risks of developing metabolic or cardiovascular diseases because of the consumption of too many “free sugars.”
HPA Community Health Division head Lin Li-ju (林莉茹) said a national nutrition health condition survey between 2013 and last year showed that 89.6 percent of junior-high school students, 85.5 percent of senior-high school students and 77.9 percent of people aged 19 to 44 drink sweetened beverages at least once a week; and 25.4 percent of people aged between 19 and 44 eat frozen desserts at least once per week.
Moreover, more than 50 percent of those people drink sweetened beverages at least once per day, she said.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
Lin said sweetened beverages and frozen desserts have little nutritional value and are high in calories, and excessive consumption of sugar can increase the risks of obesity, metabolic disorders, tooth decay and cardiovascular disease, and accelerate aging.
Last year, the WHO recommended that people limit their intake of free sugars to less than 10 percent of their total energy intake to maintain a balanced diet.
It also recommended that a further reduction to less than 5 percent of total energy intake for additional health benefits.
Lin said one 700 milliliter cup of Yakult green tea contains the equivalent of about 14 cubes of sugar (about 42 grams), a 700ml cup of bubble milk tea contains the equivalent of about 12 sugar cubes, which is between 2.7 and 3.2 times the recommended daily sugar intake (5 percent of total energy intake) for a person who weighs 60kg.
Even a 400ml cup of store-bought orange juice or 700ml cup of black tea can contain sugar exceeding the recommended daily intake, she added.
The HPA suggests that people read the nutrition facts on beverage labels carefully before purchase and learn how to calculate the calories and sugar content in a product to avoid consuming too much sugar, Lin said.
The HPA suggests people drink at least 1.5 liters of water every day; choose natural milk over flavored milk to consume nutrients, including calcium, protein and vitamins, without taking in too much sugar; and add a few pieces of fruit or tea leaves to drinking water for flavor.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS