Call To Ban Soft Drinks To Fight Obesity Among Kids In Australia. Shouldn't We Do The Same?

State governments in Australia have been urged to consider banning the sale of caffeinated soft drinks to children after a new Australian study showed that caffeine only increases addictiveness.

A Melbourne study, published in international research journal Appetite, found that caffeine added to cola-based drinks did not enhance flavour, but did increase their addictiveness, adding to childhood obesity problems.

Study co-author Dr Russell Keast, of Deakin University here, said his findings were "absolutely conclusive" that people could not detect the caffeine flavour added to cola-based drinks.

Children might find themselves becoming addicted to the caffeine, without realising it, he was quoted by the Australian Associated Press as saying.

"We're talking about children, who don't have the cognitive ability to understand why they're getting more irritable, more moody."

Dr Keast said there was a "very strong cause and effect" between soft drink consumption and obesity, with previous research showing a person's chance of obesity rose 60 per cent with each extra can of soft drink they consumed.

He said banning the drinks' sale to children under the age of 18, in the same way alcohol was banned, could be one approach for governments to explore.

Dr Keast said Monday that research into the effects of caffeinated soft drinks would continue, with funding being sought to do similar studies in Thailand, where childhood obesity was also a growing problem. (Neville D'Cruz, Bernama)

****** I'm sure our health authorities are very aware of the bad effects of caffeinated soft drinks, their contribution to obesity and the grave danger that this poses. Perhaps we should emulate the Aussie call and try as much as possible to keep it away from kids. Better safe than sorry.

Images - 1) Obesity: Source 2) Soft drinks: Source