LOS ANGELES -- A first-of-its-kind study released today
definitively links soda consumption and an obesity epidemic, which
costs California taxpayers an estimated $41 billion annually.
Using interviews with 43,000 adults and 4,000 adolescents
statewide, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research analyzed the
correlation between soft drink consumption and weight.
It found that adults who drink at least one soda or
sugar-sweetened energy drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be
overweight or obese. For children, the risk of obesity soars 60
percent with each daily serving of soda or sugary beverage.
"While we know that this epidemic is here, we need to know
specifically and scientifically where the epidemic is coming
from," said Harold Goldstein, executive director for the
California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which commissioned
the study.
"For me, the most powerful finding is the link between sugary
drinks and obesity," he said. "I have nothing whatsoever against
the industry itself, but I have a problem with those products.
"We are drinking soda like it's water, but it's not. It's water
packed with 17 teaspoons of sugar. Our kids are drinking bottles of
sugar."
The American Beverage Association, an industry group that
represents soft drink manufacturers, did not respond to requests
for comment.
But in a statement on the group's Web site, it denied there is a
direct link between soda consumption and obesity.
"The fact is that the compendium of science, regardless of
funding source, does not show that soft drinks or other sweetened
beverages uniquely contribute to obesity -- nor, for that matter,
that they are uniquely linked to any negative health
consequences," the association said.
The UCLA study included a county-by-county look at soda
consumption and the percentage of overweight adults.
It found that soda is consumed daily by a quarter of adults in
Los Angeles County, where 56 percent of those over age 18 are
overweight or obese. Soft drink consumption in neighboring Ventura
County is roughly comparable, although the number of overweight and
obese adults tops 58 percent there.
Statewide, 24 percent of adults drink at least one soda a day
and 56 percent are overweight or obese.
The highest rate of consumption was reported in the Central
Valley's Kings County, where 40 percent of adult residents drink
soda daily and 64 percent have a weight problem. Marin County in
the San Francisco Bay Area has the lowest soda consumption, 10
percent, although 44 percent of its adult population is overweight
or obese.
According to Goldstein, obesity rates increased by 35 percent
across California from 1995 to 2006.
Noting that milk consumption has dropped 38 percent since 1977,
researchers were surprised at how much soda is consumed by
adolescents -- those aged 12-17 -- and children 2-11. In Los
Angeles County, nearly 65 percent of adolescents and 44 percent of
younger children drink soda every day. The concern is that these
habits will continue as the children grow into adulthood.
Obesity has been linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and
cardiac disease. And while health care reform continues to be
debated in Washington, obesity related issues cost California $41
billion a year in medical costs and time lost at work -- double the
figure from a decade ago, according to a study released earlier
this year by Goldstein's organization.
"It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, Latino or white, if
you drink a soda each day, you're at risk," said Susan Babey,
research scientist for the UCLA center. "From a health
perspective, the best thing is to drink water, and for younger kids
white milk.
At the same time, parents face a challenge, with 450 varieties
of soda now on the market.
Researchers at both UCLA and the center for public health policy
suggest that legislators impose an industry fee on soda and other
sugar-sweetened beverages, with revenue used to help the community.
"If we're serious about curbing the obesity epidemic, we have
to start with the biggest culprit," Goldstein said. "Sodas are at
or near the top of the list."
Previous efforts to impose a fee on soft drink manufacturers
have been unsuccessful. A 2002 bill that would have imposed a
surcharge to help pay for obesity-related costs was amended to ban
the sale of soda on school campuses -- a measure that was signed
into law the next year. Lawmakers, however, remain concerned about
the long-term effects of soft-drink consumption.
"I am planning a hearing in early November where we will hear
from experts about the link between soda consumption and obesity,"
said state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Van Nuys, who chairs the Senate
Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes.
"Parents need to know about the impact soda consumption can
have on their children's health. And, we should consider the policy
options available to us."
c.2009 Los Angeles Daily News