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Buying lots of soft drink linked to low socio-economic status and unhealthier food choices - Sep 2020.
Households purchasing high volumes of sugary or diet drinks are more likely to have low socio-economic status, higher body mass index (BMI) and overall less healthy food purchases, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine.
The research, conducted by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the University of Exeter, analysed data on food and beverage purchases from nearly 9,000 British households who regularly purchase drinks such as soft drinks, juice or alcoholic beverages to identify which of those households would benefit the most from policies targeting obesity.
Overall, households which mostly purchased high levels of SSB or diet beverages generally also had a high proportion (18%) of dietary energy in their purchases from sweet snacks, such as chocolates, candy and biscuits. Overweight or obesity were also above average in these two groups, with a higher proportion of individuals in these households having a BMI over 25. To the contrary, the lowest proportion of obesity and overweight was observed in those households purchasing mostly wine, or fruit juice and milk based drinks.
The researchers say these findings suggest that households purchasing soft drinks, be it sugary or artificially sweetened, are at a higher risk of obesity, and could benefit from policies to reduce excess energy intake by targeting unhealthy foods as well as SSBs.
Professor Richard Smith, of the University of Exeter, a co-author on the study, said: “With health issues such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease rising globally, we urgently need to find ways to reduce sugar consumption among UK residents. Gaining more granular insight into shopping habits should help us design better targeted approaches to reducing sugar consumption, and ultimately to improving health.”
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Date: 17 February 2020