Should you ban sugary drinks in the workplace?

A recent experiment at the University of California, San Francisco banned sugary drinks for more than 200 employees with impressive results.

At the start of the study, participants consumed an average of 35 ounces a day of sweetened drinks. Six months after the sales ban took effect they had reduced their consumption down by almost 50%. Waistlines shrunk as a result.

But banning unhealthy food and drink s in the workplace comes with risks. Some people will just consume the same amount of sugar outside of work instead. However, the participants in this experiment met with health educators for brief motivational interviews designed to help them understand how much sugar is in these beverages and set goals for reducing their consumption.

Participants’ average age was 41 and almost half were obese, while most of them worked in service, technical jobs, medical or academic jobs on campus. The average waist circumference decreased by 2cm during the study.

The results suggest that employers can help people make healthy lifestyle choices, but need a combination of a ban and education to achieve the desired results