Warning on sugary drinks

Buloke Shire had the state’s second highest rate of consumption at 26.5 per cent followed by Mount Alexander Shire at 25.8 per cent.

Bendigo Family Dental Care dental nurse Nadine Wolstencroft said many people were unaware of just what qualified as a “sugary drink”.

“One of the big things we were promoting this year is sports drinks and it’s often misleading to people because they’re actually full of sugar,” she said.

“Even orange juice is high in sugar, a lot of the bottles you find in supermarkets have added sugar.”

Bendigo Family Dental Care runs education programs for pre-school children and Ms Wolstencroft said many parents were unaware of the health risks associated with consuming drinks which are high in sugar.

“It’s amazing how many kids are drinking a lot of soft drink, so we aim at teaching them really good dental hygiene skills from an early age and we believe if they’re taught young it becomes a habit they can follow on later in life,” she said.

“We take in bottles of cordial and Coke and things like that and we talk to the kids about it, we call them sugar bugs that stick to your teeth and talk about how they cause holes in their teeth.”

Central Victoria also has one of the highest rates of obesity in the country and the figures follow the launch of the Cancer Council Victoria’s LiveLighter television campaign highlighting the serious health effects of regular sugar consumption.

Chief Executive Officer Todd Harper said sugary drinks such as soft drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks contained dangerously high levels of sugar which could turn into toxic fat and increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

“We want people to understand that there is nothing sweet about sugary drinks,” he said.