US study shows effectiveness of exercise warnings on sugary drinks

Research from the US has demonstrated the effectiveness of exercise warning signs in encouraging healthier drinks choices among young people.

A study from the Johns Hopkins University published in the American Journal of Public Health has revealed that signs warning shoppers how much exercise they will need to burn off calories in sugary drinks can influence purchasing habits.

Of the 35 percent of those interviewed who said they saw the signs, 59 percent said they believed the information and 40 percent said their behaviour had changed as a consequence. During the trial period, the percentage of drinks sold that were sugary fell from 98 percent to 89 percent.

The single most effective sign said it took five miles to walk off the 250 calories contained in a sugary drink.

Study leader Dr Sara Bleich, associate professor at the Bloomberg School at Johns Hopkins University, said: "This is a very low-cost way to get children old enough to make their own purchases to drink fewer sugar-sweetened beverages and they appear to be effective even after they are removed."

This comes after a recent study from the University College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggested that current guidelines on sugar intake need to be revised to more effectively reduce the burden caused by tooth decay.