Reducing sugar intake could save Canadian healthcare $5B/year: U of A study

Research out of the University of Alberta shows the amount of sugar Canadians are eating is costing the health-care system $5 billion each year.

The study looked at how much sugar consumption affected costs related to chronic illnesses, including Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and several types of cancer.

It found two thirds of Canadians are eating too much added sugar. Paul Veugelers from the University of Alberta's School of Public Health said that of all the calories consumed a day no more than 10 per cent should be from added sugar.

One solution is introducing a sugar tax, researchers say, and using that money to make healthier choices more accessible.

"The idea is to use that to subsidize health food products, specifically vegetables and fruits that are often considered extremely expensive, and so if we can lower the price, basically increasing the price of sugary products, lowering the price of the healthy products, so that the healthy choice also becomes the less expensive choice," said Veugelers.

Veugelers compared it to the taxation of tobacco, which he said has been effective in reducing its use.

Researchers say the tax should be created in addition to more education and other measures to encourage healthy eating.

Even if Canadians followed a looser set of recommendations for reducing sugar intake, Veugelers said the health-care system would save $2.5 billion each year.

Newfoundland and Labrador is currently the only province in Canada with a sugar tax.