Prioritisation of sugar to tackle obesity

The global burden of obesity is well documented. In 2014, more than 1·9 billion adults were overweight (body-mass index ≥25 kg/m2), and more than 600 million of them were obese (body-mass index ≥30 kg/m2).1 Obesity is regarded as a risk factor for many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and musculoskeletal disorders.2 Populations with undernutrition now also face the paradoxical double burden of malnutrition as a result of increasing obesity prevalence.3 More than 50% of low-income countries have no recommendations on food and beverage consumption.