According to new data, the average level of sugar consumption per person in the UAE is perhaps the highest in the world.
Insurance company Protectivity has published a new report on annual sugar consumption. On average, a person living in the Emirates consumes 213 kg of sugar per year. The recommended daily dose of sugar for people aged 11 and older is 30 grams (five teaspoons), in the UAE this figure is almost 30 times higher. According to the American Heart Association, the maximum daily sugar intake is 150 calories for men and 100 calories for women.
This information was provided by Protectivity insurance company in May 2018, the report is based on data from the US Department of Agriculture for 2017/18. Sugar consumption data for countries not covered by the ministry report was obtained through additional research.
In 2017, the UAE introduced the so-called “tax on sin”, which is taxed on drinks containing sugar and cigarettes, to reduce the consumption of harmful products. Currently, prices for sweet carbonated drinks have increased by 50%, and the retail price for energy drinks - by 100%.
According to statistics, the UAE is in fifth place in the consumption of carbonated drinks in the world - higher than in any other country outside the American continent.
According to experts, a resident of the UAE consumes an average of 103 liters of soft drinks per year. On average, an adult consumes 3 thousand calories per day.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, 15.6% of the world's adult population has such a high sugar intake.
Alaa Takidin, a nutritionist at Canadian Specialist Hospital, said: “Sugar is an important source of energy, but its high consumption can lead to various health problems, such as caries, overweight, obesity, diabetes, hypertension and diseases of the cardiovascular system.”
"Sugar consumption is not only fraught with weight gain. Excessive amounts of sugar affect the body at the cellular level and lead to both short-term and long-term health effects," the nutritionist emphasizes.
