obesity Archives - Making Sense of Fluoride https://msof.nz/tag/obesity/ Looking at the science and countering the misinformation on fluoridation Wed, 19 Oct 2016 20:16:01 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/msof.nz/wp-content/uploads/drip-54c9cfeav1_site_icon.png?fit=32%2C32 obesity Archives - Making Sense of Fluoride https://msof.nz/tag/obesity/ 32 32 95836163 Should New Zealand have a sugar tax? http://msof.nz/2015/03/should-new-zealand-have-a-sugar-tax/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=should-new-zealand-have-a-sugar-tax http://msof.nz/2015/03/should-new-zealand-have-a-sugar-tax/#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:29:14 +0000 http://msof.nz/?p=718 Should New Zealand have a sugar tax? Dr Rob Beaglehole is fighting for a sugar tax to help combat tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. We at MSoF want to see fewer teeth being removed out of children's mouths (as shown in the video) and we agree that there should be a sugar [...]

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]]> Should New Zealand have a sugar tax? Dr Rob Beaglehole is fighting for a sugar tax to help combat tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

We at MSoF want to see fewer teeth being removed out of children’s mouths (as shown in the video) and we agree that there should be a sugar tax. The evidence is currently limited to the fact that it will help prevent caries, so ideally should be combined with other plans like fluoridation. Most of the countries that have taxed unhealthy foods have only done so in more recent years. Taxing something requires a whole-country approach, and it is difficult to see an immediate result with disease like caries where the outcomes often take a long time.

While community water fluoridation (CWF) helps to reduce tooth decay, we currently don’t have nationwide CWF – some areas still miss out. Taxes on the other hand are nationwide.

The number one reason why children are admitted to New Zealand hospitals is to have their teeth taken out under general anesthetic.Rob Beaglehole

There is data already on obesity like the study “Evidence that a tax on sugar sweetened beverages reduces the obesity rate: a meta-analysis“. This study concludes:

“Taxing SSBs

[sugar sweetened beverages] may reduce obesity. Future research should estimate price elasticities in low- and middle-income countries and identify potential health gains and the wider impact on jobs, monetary savings to the health sector, implementation costs and government revenue. Context-specific cost-effectiveness studies would allow policy makers to weigh these factors.”

Better quality data should start to appear in the next couple of years.

Mexico soda tax (roughly US$0.08 per liter) is working. Coca-Cola Femsa, reported weak Mexican sales volumes, which slipped 2.8%. Its rivals also reported a decrease in sales.

The only issue we could see is that low-income people buy more unhealthy food (which also includes sugar laden foods), and so a tax on unhealthy food would mean that low-income people would pay more tax. So it is important that the money gained from the tax be put into strategies that benefit most those children from low-income homes.

Sugar tax photo by me.

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