While health officials have long suspected the link between obesity and soda consumption, research released provides the first scientific evidence of the potent role soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages play in fueling California’s expanding girth.

In the landmark study: Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California, researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) discovered a strong correlation between soda consumption and weight. Based upon data from more than 40,000 interviews conducted by the California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS), researchers found that adults who drink a soda or more per day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight than those who do not drink sodas, regardless of income or ethnicity.

“The science is clear and conclusive: soda is fueling California’s $41 billion a year obesity epidemic,” says CCPHA Executive Director Dr. Harold Goldstein, an author of the research brief. “We drink soda like water. But unlike water, soda serves up a whopping 17 teaspoons of sugar in every 20-ounce serving.”

Research shows that over the last 30 years Americans consumed 278 more calories per day even as physical activity levels remained relatively unchanged. One of the biggest changes in diet during that period was the enormous increase in soda consumption, accounting for as much as 43 percent of all new calories. According to Goldstein, that research, combined with this new data on soda consumption, offers conclusive proof of the link between soda and obesity.

And while adult soda consumption is troubling, consumption trends among children paint an even more alarming picture for the future health of California. The study found that 41 percent of young children (2-11 years of age) are drinking at least one soda or sugar-sweetened beverage every day. Adolescents (12-17) represent the biggest consumers, with 62 percent (over 2 million youths) drinking one or more sodas every day – the equivalent of consuming 39 pounds of sugar each year in soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages.

“Soda is cheap, sweet and irresistibly marketed to teens,” says the study’s lead author, Dr. Susan H. Babey, a research scientist with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “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.”

There were major differences in adult consumption rates by county, the study discovered. Nevertheless, the soda/obesity linkage still holds true – those who consume large amounts of soda, regardless of where they live, suffer disproportionally from obesity and overweight.

“If we are serious about tackling the obesity crisis, cutting back soda consumption has to be the top priority,” Goldstein asserts. “Parents, communities, businesses and government all have a role to play in helping to reduce consumption. We cannot afford to raise another ‘Pepsi Generation.’”

Funding for the study was provided by The California Endowment, a private statewide health foundation that is a national leader in the childhood obesity prevention movement.

“This research clearly shows the very serious health risks of drinking soda and other sweetened beverages. I hope policymakers will read this report closely and think about what they can do to combat the obesity epidemic that is clearly tied to consuming too many sodas,” says Dr. Robert K. Ross, president and CEO of The California Endowment.

Source
UCLA

    

No wonder why i never lose weight I am a soda drinker lol

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Agreed! Great info Todd!

yes i agree about the Soda link to obesity..as far as my memories says..i watched one documentary on TV in which it was said that as the starting days..soda or cola drinks are view as health drink ..but never found so...

correct me if i am wrong

I do drink diet and I'm not proud of it, but it is a nasty nasty addiction. I hate that DD sees me drinking it and I often tell her it's bad to drink and that I hope she never drinks pop diet or otherwise.

We don't allow regular pop in our house except sometimes for parties. DD has never had pop and we don't drink a lot of juice. Actually pop is not the only beverage that should be controlled/banned/taxed --most juice is pure sugar too. We water it down for DD and don't drink it at all for ourselves. I drink primarily water, tea, and diet coke.

It's not just the sugar that is the problem, it's also the chemicals lining the cans; Bisphenola A is used in pop and it is baaad news for health.


V

I saw a video on youtube about this same subject. One of the doctors who was interviewed, Dr. Dexter Louie said "if you go back 20 - 50 years, water is what we used to drink. Sodas were a treat... Now sodas have become the staple; part of a regular diet for many people."
When I saw that I had to face the fact that was how I had been living.
When I was younger, I always drank water. As I got older, I started living on sodas.
Now...one of the healthy lifestyle changes I've made is cutting way back on my soda consumption and starting to drink alot more water.

I also heard that drinking diet soda is good for preventing obesity.

I've read that if you drink diet soda, the aspartame turns to formaldehyde (and a couple other chemicals) upon digestion. They use this to preserve dead bodies and we ingest it voluntarily!

Great post Todd!

Drinking Diet Soda is even worse than regular soda because of the aspartame or sucralose! It will definitely not help you lose weight! In fact it will do quite the opposite because of the insulin response.

I have to agree here...pop of ANY sort should just be avoided...period! Do you know, to flush out the acid from one can of pop, you need to drink about 32 glasses of water before it's all out of your system?

I am thankful that I have never been a big pop drinker - and for those that are, it can be a difficult thing to do, however, break the pop addiction if you can AND stay away from "energy drinks" like Red Bull, Gatorade, Powerade and any other garbage like that! Pop - regular or diet - does nothing GOOD for you...especially to lose weight!

Koula
xo