Sugar-sweetened beverages and sports sponsorship: The right to health of children and adolescents at stake.

Abstract

Advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages to which children and adolescents are exposed has been identified as a factor of great relevance in the genesis, expansion and persistence of obesity. This article deals with sports sponsorship by companies producing sugar-sweetened drinks and their influence on the preferences of hydration, purchasing, intention and consumption habits. It highlights the negative health consequences from the consumption of sugary drinks (soft drinks and sports beverages) and their association with obesity and risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. There is a need to apply the legal principle of "best interests of the child" to demand the protection of the right to health, in line with the recommendations of international health organizations for the restriction of advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages targeted at children and adolescents.