Associations of sugar and artificially-sweetened drinks with adiposity in a nationally representative cohort of adolescents
Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the UK. Data estimate that over 1 in 5 reception children are overweight or obese, rising to over 1 in 3 children by the time they reach year 6 1 . Furthermore it has long been recognised that obese children are likely to remain obese into adulthood 2 and obesity is associated with multiple serious chronic health conditions 3 . Obesity has a significant impact on not only the population’s health but also the NHS, with an estimated spend of £6.1 billion on obesity-related ill health in 2014-15 4 . Governing bodies including Public Health England have produced guidelines to encourage healthier eating which include reduction of sugar 5 . More recently the outgoing Chief Medical Officer for England suggested a ban on consumption of food and drink on public transport to tackle the obesity epidemic 6 . In response to the link between sugar consumption and weight gain, artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) have been increa