Legislation against unhealthy food in market stressed

Islamabad: Experts highlighted the need for effective legislation against unhealthy food openly available in market so that a healthy society can be created.

They were addressing a seminar on ‘Health Hazards of Sugar Sweetened Beverages’ organised by Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) on Thursday. President PANAH, Major General (r) Masood-ur-Rehman Kayani said that development is not possible without a healthy society. “If we do not make healthy food a part of our lives with a healthy environment, a sick society will be created. Together, we need to enact effective legislation to protect our compatriots from diseases and their causes in a timely manner.”

PANAH President Major General (r) Masood-ur-Rehman Kayani and General Secretary Sanaullah Ghumman said that PANAH has been fighting for the last 36 years to save the people from heart disease and to protect the people from the factors that cause diseases.

According to Cheryl Anderson, author of the University of California, San Diego, people who consume more than one or two sugary drinks on a daily basis have a 42 per cent increased risk of developing heart disease, according to The British Medical Journal (BMJ). According to a report by Centre for Science in the Public Interest, young people who drink sugary drinks a day are 27 per cent more likely to become obese.