When it comes to sugary soft drinks, Australia needs to change its habits warn health experts.
A graphic new ad campaign from the Cancer Council, Heart Foundation and West Australian Health Department aims to reduce Australian's daily intake of high sugar content soft drinks.
The Cancer Council said one in five Australians drinks a can of some type of sugary drink every day, over a year that amounts to a sugar consumption of up to 14.6 kilograms.
Dr Karen Hitchcock from Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital said this can have dangerous consequences on our health and lead to weight gain.
"The problem with consuming a lot of junk food, particularly soft drink, is a long term problem," Dr Hitchcock told SBS.
How much sugar is there in popular drinks? (SBS) Source: SBS
"It's pure sugar, has no nutritional value at all and can lead to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer."
The Heart Foundation’s Kellie-Ann Jolly said though some may know it’s bad to consume too much sugar, not everyone knows why.
“The excess sugar that we’re consuming is really leading to excess energy,” she told SBS.
“And what we’re seeing is the toxic fat building up around our vital organs in the middle part of our bodies."
The Australian Beverage Council chief executive, Geoff Parker, said singling out soft drinks oversimplified the issue.
"Continuing to vilify soft drinks as a leading cause of obesity is distorting the reality of the health landscape in Australia," Mr Parker said.
Mr Parker said, rather than avoid soft drinks, Australians could be healthy while consuming soft drinks in moderation.
"Consuming a diet with too many kilojoules from any source, including from soft drinks, can lead to weight gain," he said.
Addicted to Coke
The new ad is designed to shock the public, and Melbourne mother of three, Kylie Charlton, thinks it will work.
Ms Charlton drank a can of soft drink a day, for four years, even though she knew it was bad for her.
"I was addicted. I needed to have that can of Coke," she said.
"I definitely put on weight."
A health and fitness challenge, as well as her three children, helped her trash the habit.
"The boys got to the stage that they were asking 'mum, can I have some?' and I'd say 'no'. And I'd think, well if they're not allowed to have it because it's not good, why are you drinking it mum?"
The Cancer Council put that to the test when Victoria CEO, Todd Harper drank a 600ml bottle of cola, which contains 16 teaspoons of sugar.
The average Australian consumes 14.6 kilograms of sugar a year in the form of soft drinks. (SBS) Source: SBS
He said he instantly felt light headed.
"My blood sugar to start was 4.7 which is in the healthy range. But within 30 minutes had gone up to 7.4."
Indigenous specific campaign launched
Another ad campaign specifically aimed at the Indigenous community, which has a diabetes mortality rate three times higher than the non-Indigenous community, will also air nationally, on NITV.
Aboriginal health advocate Jimi Peters knows the tragic consequences sugar can have.
"I have seen the complications, I lost my father at 21," he said.
"I do believe if these promotional campaigns were around when he was a child, I may have had him a lot longer."
"I have nieces and nephews with juvenile diabetes, so it really is a passion of mine to stop that happening within our communities."
Mr Peters said the price of sugary drinks played a big part in increased consumption.
"It's the cheaper choice. Growing up, the thing I do remember were the cheap soft drinks in my fridge."
Experts want us to instead substitute sugary drinks for water, which is free.
While bubblers are widespread at schools - in shops, bottled water can be more expensive, and at restaurants people often opt for sugary alternatives.
The ads have already had an impact - the Cancer Council says after they aired in WA, there was increased awareness about the adverse consequences, and 7 per cent of overweight adults reduced their consumption, within two months.
And while there’s no sugar tax in Australia, the Heart Foundation’s Kellie-Ann Jolly said we could follow the example of Mexico.
"Perhaps see if the federal government might be able to investigate options around tax on sugary drinks," said Ms Jolly.
"Mexico is currently doing work in that area, and is starting to show positive results, so definitely something that we should be exploring."
