Replacing sugary drinks with water is essential for overall health

Adequate water intake is essential for human health and wellbeing. However, according to the research, the consumption of sugary beverages has risen across the globe. This has increased health issues such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay.

The research

Virginia Tech researchers studied the comprehensiveness and clarity of healthy beverage guidelines for countries that enacted sugary beverage tax legislation from 2000 to 2023. They analysed the text and graphic recommendations in national dietary guidelines from various countries to see how they encourage people to replace sugary drinks with water.

According to the researchers, drinking healthy beverages instead of sugary drinks helps reduce the risk of obesity and other health problems. The researchers designed an innovative tool that assigns a healthy hydration recommendation score that governments can use to improve their message clarity, justification and specificity, and visual content to encourage healthier hydration.