Doctors warn Australia risks being ‘odd one out’ if it resists sugar tax on soft drinks

Exclusive: Peak medical body claims Australia could collect $814m annually through a sugar tax, which it says 85 other countries have already implemented

The federal government is at risk of being the “odd one out” internationally if it resists implementing a tax on sugary soft drinks, the Australian Medical Association says, reigniting its calls for a 16 cent levy for every can in an attempt to slash obesity cases and raise funds for public health campaigns.

The AMA said Australia could collect $814m annually by implementing a sugar tax on fizzy drinks, a move it says 85 jurisdictions around the world have already taken.

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‘Hydration is a simple thing’: has the quest to improve water actually worked?

From alkaline waters to beauty elixirs, added oxygen and probiotics, many brands claim they have ‘enhanced’ water – but what do the experts think?

Today, when I woke up, I made myself a cup of warm lemon water. After lunch I dropped a Berocca into a glass to power me through the afternoon haze. Running errands I considered treating myself to a Coke but opted instead for an expensive, vegetable-tasting water.

H2O classic may be a prerequisite to all known forms of life, but countless brands insist they have found ways to “improve” water. From a business standpoint, it’s working. Industry researchers IbisWorld estimate Australia’s “functional beverage” industry is worth $445.6m; and as people become more health conscious, the growth of the sector is outpacing the economy overall.

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The real thing: my battle to beat a 27-year Diet Coke addiction

I have been obsessed with the sugar-free soda since I was four, spending £500 a year on up to seven cans a day. This is what happened when I tried to quit

The greatest love story of my life has been with a carbonated beverage.

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t addicted to Diet Coke. Some memories: I am sitting at the kitchen table at my grandmother’s house in northern Cyprus, screaming because my mother won’t refill my yellow-and-green patterned glass. I am four or five years old. My grandmother looks on, disturbed, as I wail disconsolately. My mother does not give in.

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Soft drinks, including sugar-free, linked to increased risk of early death

Drink more water, say experts as they argue study proves need for curbs on consumption

People who regularly consume soft drinks have a higher risk of an early death, researchers have found, with the trend seen for both sugared and artificially sweetened drinks.

While experts say the study cannot prove soft drinks are a driver of an increased risk of death, they say the work – which is the largest study of its kind – supports recent public health efforts to reduce consumption of soft drinks, such as the UK’s sugar tax.

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Wait, What? Matthews Compares Republicans to Jonestown Followers, North Korean Soldiers

A day after MSNBC's Hardball host Chris Matthews called out President Trump for "coming out like a kiss butt" in dealing with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, the liberal pundit reveled on Wednesday in comparing Republicans to North Korean soldiers and comments by Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker that GOPers are part of a "cult" for enthusiastically backing President. Not surprisingly, Matthews seemed a little confused about whether to make the Republican comparison to those who committed mass suicide in Jonestown by first ruling at 7:21 p.m. Eastern that "Corker's not exactly a bomb thrower and he's not comparing this guy to James Jones and drinking the kool-aid and cults and that's pretty deep."