Philippine taxes on sugary drinks could avert thousands of deaths, WHO study says

Tuesday, 11 December 2018 00:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A logo is pictured on the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland - Reuters

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines could avert 24,000 premature deaths linked to diseases such as diabetes, stroke and heart failure in the next two decades after it adopted taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

The taxes levied this year could cut consumption and avoid nearly 6,000 deaths related to diabetes, 8,000 from stroke and more than 10,000 from heart diseases over 20 years, a WHO research study showed.

“The new sugar-sweetened beverage tax may help reduce obesity-related premature deaths and improve financial well-being in the Philippines,” the researchers said.

The taxes, part of a series of reforms aimed at helping to fund infrastructure, could yield healthcare savings of about $627 million and annual revenue of $813 million, they added.

The high consumption of colas was the main driver of obesity, swelling the burden of non-communicable diseases, the WHO said.

Retail prices of sugar-sweetened beverages have risen as much as 13% after the Philippines imposed the taxes in January, joining 27 countries with similar levies. The WHO has backed taxation as a way of curbing rising obesity if retail prices rise 10% to 20% to cut consumption.

In 2013, 31% of the total Philippine adult population of 56.3 million was overweight, the agency said, with the proportion of overweight youth nearly doubling to 8.3% from close to 5% within just a decade.