Soda Talks Becoming a Carbonated Controversy

By Sheilah Downey sheilahd at foodconsumer dot org

Battle lines are being drawn in the debate over sugar-laden sodas, with

both sides spewing more statistics on the subject than a fizzy drink.

A UCLA study released today on the soda-obesity link states "we can't afford another Pepsi Generation," and has the American Beverage Council fighting back.

A paper in the New England Journal of Medicine also published today says the time has come to levy a tax on sugary drinks to help pay the $147 billion medical tab for obesity-related problems.

The study from UCLA's Center for Health Policy Research stated that "soda is fueling California's $41 billion-a-year obesity epidemic" and found that adults who drink one soda or more per day were 27 percent more likely to be overweight than non-soda drinkers.

"If we are serious about tackling the obesity crisis, cutting back soda consumption has to be the top priority," said study author Dr. Harold Goldstein. "We cannot afford another Pepsi Generation."

In the study, entitled "Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and its Link to Obesity in California," researchers found that over the last 30 years Americans consumed 278 more calories per day, with 43 percent of those coming from soda.

"Even more alarming," stated the UCLA press release, is that 41 percent of children ages 2 to 11 years are drinking at least one soda, or sugar-sweetened beverage per day. Adolescents represent the biggest consumers, said the study, with kids ages 12 to 17 drinking one or more soda per day, or 39 pounds of sugar each year.

"Soda is cheap, sweet and irresistibly marketed to teens," said lead author Dr. Susan H. Babey. "Not enough teens know about the health and dietary risks of drinking huge quantities of what is essentially liquid sugar while television and advertising tell them it is 'cool' to do so."

In response to the UCLA study, the American Beverage Association stated in a news release that the study was unnecessarily "demonizing" the soda industry and did not look at cause and effect but only correlations.

"In fact, the compendium of science shows that soft drinks do not uniquely contribute to obesity or any other chronic disease," stated Dr. Maureen Storey, senior vice president of science policy for the ABA.

Storey said a Harvard study published this year stated that "all calories count, regardless of food source -- when it comes to losing weight."

"If our goal is to address obesity," said Storey, "then educating consumers about the importance of balancing calories consumed from all foods and beverages with the calories expended through physical activity is what matters -- not demonizing any one particular food."

With an armload of 31 studies packed into their proposal, a group of health experts suggested levying a tax on sugar drinks in the NEJM to help pay for the estimated $147 billion medical tab in treating obesity-related health problems.

Citing a July study that stated sweetened sodas "may be the single, largest driver of the obesity epidemic," the proposal says the tax on sugar-sweetened drinks is necessary to reduce consumption and lower health costs associated with obesity.

"The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been linked to risks for obesity, diabetes and heart disease," states the study. "Therefore, a compelling case can be made for the need for reduced consumption of these beverages."

In accordance with the results of the UCLA study, authors wrote that soda consumption has an exaggerated effect on children.

"This problem is exacerbated in the case of children and adolescents," wrote researchers, "who place a higher value on present satisfaction while more heavily discounting future consequences."

The paper estimates that a tax of a penny an ounce on sweetened beverages would raise $14.9 billion in one year with funding going to health care initiatives. The soda tax would apply to all sugary drinks, including soda, energy drinks, sports beverages and iced teas — but not sugar-free drinks.