Why water should replace sugar filled beverages

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The increased consumption of sugar-filled beverages is surging health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and tooth decay worldwide. Switching sugary drinks with water can be a way to prevent these problems, suggests a study.

Researchers from Virginia Tech, US, examined the comprehensiveness and comprehensibility of healthy beverage guidelines for nations that implemented tax laws on sugar-filled beverages between 2000 and 2023. They examined the textual and visual suggestions found in national dietary guidelines from different nations to determine how they promote the substitution of water for sugary drinks like soda.

By choosing healthy drinks like water over sugary ones, one can lower their risk of obesity and other health issues. Governments can use this information that the researchers gleaned meticulously to rate recommendations for good hydration and discourage the consumption of sugary drinks by improving the message's rationale, actionability, specificity, and visual content.

About 58 of the 93 nations that aimed to impose tariffs on sugar-filled beverages in 2023 have dietary standards based on food. Subsequent analysis of the data revealed that 48 of the nations had complementing messaging that promoted water consumption and discouraged sugar-filled beverages.

Using a score ranging from 0 to 12, the researchers ranked the nations based on recommendations for healthy hydration. The evaluation took into account the guidelines' visual content, activities, reasoning, accessibility, specificity, and clarity of message.

The US received a medium score of 7, while Bolivia, Peru, and Brunei received the highest scores.

In order to promote policy coherence and socially normalise water as the default healthy beverage, it is important for us to understand how tax legislation on sugary drinks is aligned with national food-based dietary guidelines that promote milk and other healthy beverages, like 100 per cent juice, noted Nicole Leary, the lead researcher.

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