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Sugary drinks tax may have prevented over 5,000 cases of obesity

27 January 2023

The soft drinks industry levy, the ‘sugary drinks tax’, in England was followed by a drop in the number of cases of obesity among older primary school children, in an article published by UKRI(UK Research and Innovation).

This is according to research led by the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge.

Taking into account current trends in obesity, their estimates suggest that around 5,000 cases of obesity per year may have been prevented in year 6 girls alone.

The study, published in PLOS Medicine, looked at the impact of the levy on reception age children and those in year 6. However, it found no significant association between the levy and obesity levels in year 6 boys or younger children from reception class.