Sugary drink taxes may help some adults lose weight

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-01-25 03:00

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A US study of more than a million adults found people aged 20 - 39, women, and white people living in US cities with taxes on sugary drinks saw modest decreases in their body mass index (BMI) four to six years after the taxes were introduced, while similar people in cities where the drinks are not taxed did not. Improvements were seen among young adults who drank the most sugary drinks, and in Berkeley, California, where a commission of residents was set up to direct funds raised through the tax to health programs as early as six months after the tax was introduced.

Media release

From: JAMA

City-Level Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes and Changes in Adult Body Mass Index

About The Study: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) excise taxes were associated with reduced mean body mass index (BMI) among adults in demographic subgroups, including in young adults who consumed the most SSBs, and in Berkeley, in this cohort study. Future research should examine the mechanisms of these associations to inform how SSB taxes could be more equitable for weight-related outcomes.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, USA

Funder: This work was funded by the NIH (grant No. R01 DK123204).

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