UAE one of the top most consumers of sugar in the world
The findings of a recent study has shown that the United Arab Emirates is one of the top consumers of sugar globally. The study puts a rough estimates which suggests that on an average one person gulps down 213kg annually which is equal to 53,591 teaspoons annually or 147 teaspoons per person on an average.
These numbers are nowhere close to the normal recommended daily consumption of sugar which puts the figure at around 30 grams or almost five teaspoons for people north of 11 years.
However, the UAE numbers overshoots the recommended ones by almost 30 times.
In a separate study it was found out that the Emirates ranks fifth when it comes down to the consumption of fizzy drinks and soda. This is higher than any other country which is outside the American continent.
Alaa Takidin, Clinical Nutritionist at Canadian Specialist Hospital said: "Sugar is an important source of energy but a high intake of it may lead to various health issues such as tooth decay, weight gain, obesity, diabetes, hyper tension and heart diseases."
In a rather worrying trend, an average UAE resident consumes on an average 103 litres of fizzy drinks every year, which amounts to consumption of around 3000 calories per day.
Nutritionists believe that such an exorbitant levels of consumption will lead to diabetes and many other health hazards.
Last year, the UAE has imposed a ‘sin’ tax on all sugary drinks to coerce people from gulping them down which would lead to a decrease in their unhealthy consumption.
This has made the price of such drinks shoot up by almost 50 per cent. Also, the retail price of energy drinks has been beefed up by 100 per cent.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) had also launched a campaign to drive home the health hazards associated with sugar-sweetened beverages.
The campaign was titled 'Your Health Comes First' under the slogan 'Beat the habit...Fight Extra Sugar' and was aimed at raising awareness about the different sugar-related diseases.
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