Study suggests sugar tax might reduce obesity in South African adults

A research paper titled ‘The potential impact of a 20% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages on obesity in South African adults: A mathematical model’ has given more credence to the theory that taxing sugar sweetened beverages can reduce consumption, leading to population weight reduction.

Academics from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, studied the effect of tax on sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) in relation to growing obesity among adults in South Africa and found that taxing these types of beverages could have an impact on obesity, as one aspect of a multi-faceted prevention effort.

The paper was authored by Mercy Manyema, Dr Lennert Veerman, Dr Lumbwe Chola, Aviva Tugendhaft, professor Benn Sartorius, professor Demetre Labadarios and professor Karen Hofman.

The study suggests that a 20% tax could lead to a reduction of about 36 kilojoules of energy intake everyday, which could result in 3.8% and 2.4% reduction in obesity in men and women, respectively. This reduction could lead to a decrease of about 220,000 obese adults in South Africa.

"It is the responsibility of the government to protect the health of its population. One way of doing so is through ‘nudging’ people to make healthier and more sustainable choices. An SSB tax has the potential to do this in addressing obesity-related diseases," said lead author Mercy Manyema, a researcher from the Priority Cost Effective Lessons for System Strengthening (PRICELESS-SA) programme at the Wits School of Public Health.

South Africa is now considered to be the most obese country in Sub-Saharan Africa; over half of the country’s adults are overweight and obese.

"While SSBs alone may not be the only reason for an increase in body fat, these fizzy drinks do not contain any essential nutrients, have a high sugar content and a strong link to weight gain. Drinking just one SSB a day increases the likelihood of being overweight by 27% for adults and 55% for children," said Karen Hofman, senior author of the paper and director of PRICELESS-SA.

The paper is the result of a recommendation by the South African minister of health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, on the need to regulate high-sugar foods in order to address obesity and its related diseases.