Irish Physicians Weigh In On Sugar Debate

The Royal College of Physicians Ireland has weighed in on the sugar and obesity debate in its recently published policy paper, 'The Race We Don't Want to Win'.

The paper states that two out of three adults are obese and one in four children are obese. It cites predictions that 90 per cent of the Irish population will be overweight or obese by 2030 - which would be the highest rate in Europe - unless there is a policy change. The paper makes recommendations of how this obesity tide can be stemmed.

Similar to suggestions by other lobby groups throughout the EU, the paper draws particular attention to sugary drinks and calls for a 20 per cent tax on such drinks in next month's budget. It claims that this tax could cut cut the numbers of obese and overweight adults by 14,380, generate €57.5 million in revenue and only cost households between €35-€43 a year.

The RCPI has also called for a 9pm watershed for television advertising of food and drinks which are high in fat, salt and sugar, as children must be "protected from slick marketing campaigns for food and drink that contribute to obesity."

Coming in for the most criticism was Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign, where names are printed on bottles. The group said that although Coca-Cola committed not to market products to under-12s, almost all of the 100 most popular names of seven to eight-year-olds are included in the campaign. The group believes that this prompts children to search for their names and does not meet "Coca-Cola's own standards for responsible marketing."

Donal O'Shea, co-chair of the policy group and a consultant endocrinologist, said that, "obesity costs the state billions every year. Can we afford not to ban irresponsible and harmful advertising to children? We cannot expect that industry will take this responsibility on itself."

However, the Food and Drink Industry of Ireland said that Ireland's advertising laws were already restrictive and that "a discriminatory tax on certain food and drink products would have no health benefits and would further hit already hard pressed Irish consumers. It was tried in Denmark but was reversed as it did not change costumer behaviour."

Catherine Hayes, co-chair of the RCPI group and public health specialist, added that, "in addition to adopting a stricter stance in relation to marketing of food to children there is a need to prioritise healthy eating and physical activity, particularly in education settings."

A greater number of Irish doctors are receiving weight management training as part of their education and Hayes called on all health professionals to offer consistent, clear and helpful advice on diet and exercise from before conception, through pregnancy and in the infancy period.

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