Eating junk food as a child or young person could massively increase risks of diabetes development . Now, a group of over 100 diabetes experts has called for laws to ban junk food advertising that targets children.
A team of experts from the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh said that the best way to combat rising obesity and type 2 diabetes amongst young children was to ban print, billboard and television advertising of unhealthy food.
Unhealthy food and drink products as television adverts for the under-16s are already banned. The Scotsman quoted Dr. Scott Ramsay as commenting: “Rates of obesity and diabetes are increasing at alarming rates and pose one of the most serious health challenges of this time. In response to this, diabetes experts from across the UK have come together to call on the Scottish and UK governments to demonstrate greater leadership in tackling this crisis. In particular we believe that the lessons from effective legislation on smoking should be used to promote healthier diets, increased physical activity and to inform transport and planning policy. This should involve tighter regulation of the food and drink industry and the extension of restrictions on ”less healthy” food and drink advertising in children’s television programmes to all forms of advertising aimed at children.”

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