A long-awaited report from Public Health England, Sugar Reduction: The evidence for action, has been published, calling for action to be taken on reducing sugar consumption in England.

The PHE report found that almost 25 per cent of adults, 10 per cent of four to five-year-olds and 19 per cent of 10 and 11-year-olds in England are obese, which is thought to be partly due to the consumption of too much sugar.

On average sugar contributes between 12 and 15 per cent of dietary energy, but official recommendations state this should be halved to a maximum of five per cent. Reaching these levels could improve quality of life and save the NHS an estimated £500 million a year.

PHE admitted that no single action will be effective in reducing sugar intake but suggested several measures that would help to achieve this. These included curbing the advertising of sugary products, action to reduce price promotions on high-sugar foods and the introduction of a sugar tax of between 10 and 20 per cent.

Prime Minister David Cameron has ruled out a sugar tax, saying there are more effective ways of tackling obesity, but the BMA is urging the Government to seriously consider PHE’s recommendations.

Professor Sheila Hollins, BMA board of science chair, said in a statement: “Doctors are increasingly concerned about the impact of poor diet, which is responsible for up to 70,000 deaths a year, and has the greatest impact on the NHS budget, costing £6bn annually.

“We urge the Government to give real and urgent consideration to Public Health England’s recommendations... While sugar-sweetened drinks are very high in calories, they are of limited nutritional value and when people in the UK are already consuming far too much sugar, we are increasingly concerned about how they contribute towards conditions like diabetes… It is vital that the Government takes on board the concerns already raised by doctors, and now echoed by Public Health England."