Big Soda goes on the offensive against the Harvard sugary drinks report

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Steven Hsieh

Big Soda Knocks Harvard Report Linking ‘Sugary Drinks’ to 180,000 Deaths a Year
Surprise! The American Beverage Association says the condemning report is 'more about sensationalism than science.'

March 20, 2013 |


Harvard researchers have found that over-consumption of sodas and sugary drinks may be linked to 180,000 worldwide deaths a year. The report, released Tuesday, also notes the studied beverages contribute to about 25,000 American deaths a year, placing the country third overall.

The report, unveiled during an American Heart Association meeting, links sugar-sweetened beverages to “133,000 diabetes deaths, 44,000 deaths from cardiovascular diseases and 6,000 cancer deaths” a year. The study’s co-author, Gitanjali Singh, also recommended regulations to curb the intake of sugary drinks, specifying that “taxing sugary drinks in the same way as cigarettes, or limiting advertising or access, may help reduce usage.”

The American Beverage Association (ABA), which represents hundreds of industry companies, including Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, immediately criticized the study:

“This abstract, which is not peer-reviewed nor published in a way where its methodology can be fully evaluated, is more about sensationalism than science,” reads an ABA statement, “The researchers make a huge leap when they take beverage intake calculations from around the globe and allege that those beverages are the cause of deaths which the authors themselves acknowledge are due to chronic disease.” .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/food/big-soda-knocks-harvard-report-linking-sugary-drinks-180000-deaths-year

[pscot]

1. it feels odd

to find myself agreeing with the ABA.

[Deep13]

2. Big Soda Goes on the Offensive Against Facts nt

[liberal_at_heart]

3. they can tax my soda all they want. I'll still drink it.

[reformist2]

4. I'm not for taxing or banning soft drinks, but I'm all for bashing them - sugary and diet.

They have no nutritional value, they do horrible things to the body's endocrine/exocrine systems, and besides, they are way overpriced, too. Oh yeah, then there's that thing about how they usurp municipal water supplies around the world for profit.