Polish children biggest consumers of sugar in Europe:report

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WARSAW, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Polish children eat the most sugar in Europe with those under 10 consuming 95g per day, or 19 teaspoons, family doctors of the Alliance of Health Care Employers (PPOZ) was quoted by Polish Press Agency as saying on Thursday.

The draft law on the so-called sugar tax was adopted by the Sejm (the lower house of Polish parliament) last week. The bill drafted by the Health Ministry to impose additional fees on soft drinks containing sugars as a tool to fight the rapidly increasing problem of Poles being overweight or obese and diseases caused by excessive sugar consumption.

"The introduction of the sugar tax, supposed to discourage Poles from drinking sweet drinks, was advocated by the Ministry of Health, the National Health Fund, the Ministry of Finance, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO)," doctors from PPOZ said.

They added that excessive consumption of sweetened products is a cause of many diseases of civilization. A diet high in sugar increases the risk of diabetes. Furthermore, sugar consumption is addictive, like alcohol. It also disturbs the endocrine system, increases oxidative stress and leads to metabolic diseases. Research has shown that increased glycolysis (carbohydrate metabolism) can cause breast cancer, PPOZ board member Jaroslaw Krol said.

A maximum of 12 teaspoons of sugar should be consumed per day - up to 50 g, according to the WHO, whereas "the American Society of Cardiology recommends a maximum of 6 teaspoons per day (up to 25 g) for women and 9 (up to 37 g) for men. Meanwhile, the average American eats 22 teaspoons of sugar per day, and the Pole - 24," PPOZ doctors said citing statistics.

They add that the sugar tax is already in force in some European Union countries, and according to research, it has significantly reduced sales of sweetened drinks. Enditem

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