Waistlines, belly sizes shrink after ban on sugary drinks
After the University of California, San Francisco, banned sales of sugary drinks, employees started downing less liquid sugar – and their waistlines showed it.
In a before-and-after study, researchers found that the ban, begun in 2015, cut employees’ intake of sugary drinks by almost 50 percent. And within 10 months, their collective waist size had shrunk by almost an inch.
The university is one of a growing number of employers that have stopped selling sugar-laden beverages – in cafeterias and vending machines – in a bid to promote healthier lifestyles.
According to the results, employees who were heavy consumers of sugary drinks before the ban reduced their daily intake of those beverages by 48 percent within 10 months. Specifically, they went from downing 35 ounces per day, on average, to 18 ounces.
The reduced consumption was based on what the workers reported, which can be influenced by social pressure.
But the researchers also had biological evidence to back up employees’ claims. People who reported bigger reductions in sugary drinks also showed more improvement in their sensitivity to insulin – a key hormone in regulating blood sugar. Problems with insulin sensitivity can be a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
And then there was the change in belly size. Across the whole study group, average waist circumference dipped by just under an inch.
Source: HealthDay News
