Penny-per-ounce tax on sugar drinks could save $17 billion, cut consumption and prevent disease and death, academics say

More than $17 billion in medical costs over 10 years could be saved if sugared drinks were taxed at 1 cent per ounce, and it would prevent 95,000 cases of coronary heart disease, 8,000 strokes and 26,000 premature deaths, say researchers at Columbia University and the University of California.

The tax would mean an extra 12 cents per can or 20 cents per bottle, and would generate about $13 billion in annual tax revenue. The study, published in this month's HealthAffairs, found the consumption of sugary drinks, including soda, sports drinks like Gatorade and energy drinks like Red Bull, would be cut by 15 percent among adults ages 25 to 64.

"Even our conservative estimates show that a penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages could substantially reduce the negative health and financial impacts of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Y. Claire Wang, assistant professor at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia  and lead author of the study. "Putting the money raised by the tax into efforts to prevent obesity and other health problems could potentially increase the impact of such a policy."

In 2009, Americans consumed 13.8 billion gallons of sugar-sweetened beverages, which translates to about 45 gallons per person. The average 20-ounce bottle of a sugar drink contains almost 17 teaspoons of sugar. (Read more)

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Easy way to beat heart disease

An easy way to beat heart disease,and strokes is quite simple, eat tomatoes!

Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene
Scientists say a natural supplement made from tomatoes, taken daily, can stave off heart disease and strokes.
The tomato pill contains an active ingredient from the Mediterranean diet - lycopene - that blocks "bad" LDL cholesterol that can clog the arteries.
Ateronon, made by a biotechnology spin-out company of Cambridge University, is being launched as a dietary supplement and will be sold on the high street.
Experts said more trials were needed to see how effective the treatment is.
Preliminary trials involving around 150 people with heart disease indicate that Ateronon can reduce the oxidation of harmful fats in the blood to almost zero within eight weeks, a meeting of the British Cardiovascular Society will be told at Ateronon's launch on Monday.
Our advice to heart disease patients or those at high risk is to rely on proven medications prescribed by their doctor, and aim to get the benefits of a Mediterranean diet by eating plenty of fresh fruit and veg
Professor Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation
Neuroscientist Peter Kirkpatrick, who will lead a further research project at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on behalf of Cambridge Theranostics Ltd, said the supplement could be much more effective than statin drugs that are currently used by doctors to treat high cholesterol.
But Professor Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation said: "As always, we caution people to wait for any new drug or modified 'natural' product to be clinically proven to offer benefits before taking it.
"It will take some time, and several clinical trials, to provide such evidence for Ateronon.
"In the meantime, our advice to heart disease patients or those at high risk is to rely on proven medications prescribed by their doctor, and aim to get the benefits of a Mediterranean diet by eating plenty of fresh fruit and veg."
He said the British Heart Foundation had supported some of the basic science at Cambridge University underpinning the development of the product.
Professor Anthony Leeds, trustee of the cholesterol charity Heart UK, said: "The new lycopene product Ateronon represents an entirely new approach to the treatment of high blood cholesterol and opens up the exciting possibility."
He said the preliminary findings were "very promising".
Lycopene is an antioxidant contained in the skin of tomatoes which gives them their red colour. But lycopene ingested in its natural form is poorly absorbed.
Ateronon contains a refined, more readily absorbed version of lycopene that was originally developed by Nestle.
Dr Peter Coleman of The Stroke Association said: "We know that diets rich in antioxidants are beneficial in reducing the plaque build up and welcome the findings of this research."


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