The facts concerning the consumption of sweetened drinks are in and they’re solid. Drinking soda or any other sugary drink is a leading cause of obesity, particularly in children, and contributes to diabetes and heart disease. The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) estimates that “people who consume sugary drinks regularly – 1 to 2 cans a day or more – have a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.” They also cite a study which followed 40,000 men for twenty years and found “that those who averaged one can of a sugary beverage per day had a 20% higher risk of having a heart attack or dying from a heart attack than men who rarely consumed sugary drinks.” And Americans are consuming more sweetened drinks than ever before, due in part to aggressive advertising as well as an increase in portion size. A 2005 study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest stated that “carbonated soft drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet.” Conversations concerning the ill effects of consuming too much sugar have been occurring for many years now, but I doubt many people are aware of the very serious health issues that can develop over consuming even relatively modest amounts. It is also doubtful that doctors ask their patients about their diets, including how much soda they drink in a week. It would appear, nevertheless, that the availability of sweetened drinks and the propensity of the average American to consume as much as they do is a very real and prominent public health issue. And aside from a couple of failed efforts to reign in consumption with modest taxes on sweetened drinks, it doesn’t appear that anything is being done to curtail overall consumption.
The HSPH, however, has laid forth a few sound suggestions to lessen public consumption of sugary drinks which would at the same time provide revenue “that could be used to fund other obesity prevention interventions.” In their study published this year, the HSPH provided specific suggestions in order to combat childhood obesity. The authors of the study propose that a public policy agenda should include: “a sugar sweetened beverage excise tax; elimination of the tax subsidy for advertising unhealthy food to children; restaurant menu calorie labeling; nutritional standards for school meals; [and] nutrition standards for all other food and beverages sold in schools.” An implementation of the first three of their suggestions were found by the authors to save “more in health care costs than they cost to implement.” This study most assuredly based its conclusions on the success of the anti-tobacco campaign in which state legislatures and the federal government combined forces to pass tobacco taxes and ban the advertising of tobacco on television. An article published last month in The New York Times said that taxing tobacco certainly had an effect on the use of tobacco products as “a robust literature now exists showing that the resulting higher prices really did push down cigarette sales, particularly among young people.” The New York Times article also looked at the success in Mexico after a tax on soda was passed in 2013. It has been widely reported that “preliminary data from the Mexican government and public health officials in the United States find that the tax prompted a substantial increase in prices and a resulting drop in the sales of drinks sweetened with sugar…The long-term effects of the policy remain uncertain, but the tax is being heralded by advocates, who say it could translate to the United States.” Indeed, soda consumption in Mexico, post tax, fell by 17% as of December 2014.
As can be expected, however, the American Beverage Association is fighting hard against such taxes as they did in California. The ABA spent $10 million in order to defeat measures introducing a soda tax in San Francisco, where it failed, and Berkeley, where it passed. They pose arguments against the effectiveness of a tax, calling instead for an emphasis on education, which is certainly valid, but a significant drop in corporate profit is a more likely factor in their anti-tax battle.
Given the overwhelming data confirming the health risks involved with even modest consumption of sweetened drinks, I believe our governments should do everything possible to restrict their sales. If we are ever able to stop the plague of obesity in this country, state and federal governments should examine the HSPH study and follow its recommendations.
Recipe of the Week
This chicken recipe has Spanish overtones and is absolutely delicious. It also tastes better a few days after it’s made.
Spanish Chicken with Olives
1 large chicken, preferably organic, cut into pieces and skinned
3 Tbls. olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsps. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground ginger
3 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup olives of your choice, chopped
1 large lemon plus 2 Tbls. lemon juice
1 Tbls. paprika
Cut the large lemon into 8 slices. You can abstract the juice from a couple of the slices, but don’t throw them out. Heat the oil in a large stew pot to medium high. Add the onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, spices, lemon juice and lemon slices and stir briefly. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper as well and add to the pot. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes, turning the pieces from time to time. Remove the chicken, turn up heat and cook the sauce down until it resembles thin gravy. Return the chicken to the pot along with the olives. Cook at a simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the lemon slices and toss them out, and taste for salt and pepper. It’s certainly good on its own, but I liked to swirl a little non-fat yogurt into the sauce.