DT News - UK - Fizz Free February initiative kicks off

Dental Tribune UK

Tue. 5 February 2019

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LONDON, UK: Soft drinks, or fizzy drinks, are the single largest source of sugar for children aged 11–18, constituting an average 29 per cent of their daily sugar intake. To combat this alarming trend, the Southwark London Borough Council has launched the Fizz Free February campaign, in which participants pledge to give up drinking soft drinks for the month of February.

Recent data has highlighted that excessive sugar consumption is extremely common in the UK. The average British child has already exceeded the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18-year-old by the time he or she turns 10. Excess sugar intake can lead to the development of unhealthy fat and weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, certain cancers and dental caries.

A 330 ml can of the top-selling cola brands can contain up to 36 g of sugar, or the equivalent of nine teaspoons. According to the Southwark Council, if everyone in England consumed half of the maximum recommended daily intake of sugar, it would prevent up to 200,000 cases of caries and 4,000 early deaths each year.

The Fizz Free February campaign was launched in Westminster on 29 January. Tom Watson, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, and Dr Mick Armstrong, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Principal Executive Committee, were among those who spoke at the event.

“The heaps of sugar companies are putting in their fizzy drinks are as good as poisoning our kids,” said Watson. “With scores of children suffering from tooth decay, obesity and even diabetes, we must do something to alert people to the danger of too much sugar.”

Armstrong added: “Prevention matters to us, because we see the damage fizzy drinks do every day. The sugar they are packed full of is a big contributor to the problem of obesity. But it is the single main cause of tooth decay.”

“The idea behind Fizz Free February couldn’t be simpler: simply encourage families to take a few weeks out from reaching for a can of pop. This idea may have started small over in Southwark, but we’re proud to help this campaign go national,” he concluded.

Dental professionals can encourage their patients to participate in Fizz Free February and direct them here.

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