14 DAY TRIAL // Professor Simon Capewell believes that, given how bad they are for an individual's overall health condition, let alone their waistline, it might not be such a bad idea if sugary drinks were to carry warning labels.
These warning labels that the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom specialist has in mind would be similar to those found on cigarette packs and other products that studies have shown constitute a threat to one's health.
“Many other potentially harmful products already carry effective health warnings. For example, insecticides and other toxic products have long carried labels warning users to take extreme care,” he says.
“Similarly, cigarettes have gone from being socially acceptable to quite unacceptable after warning labels were implemented,” Professor Simon Capewell writes in a personal-view article in the British Medical Journal.
As detailed by EurekAlert, Professor Simon Capewell expects that, should such labels be added to sugary drinks cans and bottles, maybe even vending machines, public health would have a lot to gain.
This is because, as shown by evidence uncovered by several studies carried out over the years, increased sugar consumption is a contributing factor to soaring obesity rates and, consequently, one of the culprits behind several medical conditions.
Interestingly enough, the University of Liverpool researcher maintains that quite a lot of people are in favor of twisting sugary drinks makers' and marketers' arm into adding health warning labels to these products, the same source tells us.
What's more, Simon Capewell maintains that plenty of people in the United Kingdom would have such warning labels added to food products that do not qualify as healthy and that folks might want to stay away from as well.
“A recent BBC survey found that 60% of adults would support health warnings similar to those on cigarette packets on food packaging. Even more, 70%, would support banning sugary drinks in UK schools, or limiting the amount of sugar allowed in certain foods,” the Professor explains.
While it may be a while until such labels make an appearance in the United Kingdom, it appears that folks in the United States are no strangers to them. On the contrary, the state of California is expected to vote on a bill concerning such labels sometime next week.
Media reports say that, should the bill pass, sugary drinks marketed in this part of the United States will soon enough display the following message: “Drinking beverages with added sugars contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.”