A Regular Soda a Day Boosts Weight Gain

Data collected from 51,603 women over an average of four years found that the women who gained the most weight were those who increased their consumption of non-diet drinks from one or fewer per week to one or more per day, the researchers found. Such women gained an average of 10.3 pounds, compared with an average of slightly less than three pounds for those who consumed one drink or less per week.

In addition, those who had one or more drinks containing sugar or corn syrup per day were 83 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who drank less than one such drink per month. Diabetes, a chronic blood sugar disorder that puts victims at risk for a variety of serious complications, is becoming increasingly common in the United States.

One can hope that this will help the drive to get soda machines out of schools. As we all have heard time and again, obesity is a growing problem in the US, but it seems as if the simple steps Americans could be taken, such as avoiding the empty calories of sodas and snack foods, are completely ignored.

I’ve always wondered why junk food and soda are allowed purchases under the food stamp program. Disallowing such purchases–candy, soda, chips–might be a significant help in reducing obesity and educating the American population about good nutrition.

I’d also like to see a “sin tax” placed on junk foods the same as we have for cigarettes and alcohol. You should still have the right to buy these items–after all, even I buy soda when we’re going on long car trips and I crave caffeine–but money from such a sin tax could go towards funding obesity education, or even helping to fund ailing hospitals areas in poverty stricken areas. And such a tax just might reduce comsumption and stave off a coming obesity epidemic.

Will such ideas fly? Of course not. The sugar industry and corn farmers (remember that most of these products are made with corn syrup) will never allow it to happen.

All the same it would be really nice if we could consider the health and well-being of Americans before the well-being of corporate interests.

ADDENDUM the First:
In response to the troll…

Friday my calorie intake was: oatmeal, yogurt, orange juice, light pollock, scalloped potatoes, chocolate milk, roll with butter, granola bar, mudslide, and half a small pan pizza from Uno’s.

My calorie burning activities: walked 45 minutes on the track, took the PRT to work, walked about the building for 20 minutes doing tasks, walked 30 minutes at lunch with a friend, walked around the building for 20 more minutes doing tasks, walked to meet my husband after work, strolled around several stores.

Was my calorie intake more or less than the amount of calories I burned? Come on! You said that calorie intake must be lower than calories burned to lose weight, implying that it’s a simple thing that anyone should be able to do. So tell me, did I do it right? Should I have eaten less? Could I have eaten more?

I’m pretty knowledgable about health and nutrition, and I couldn’t tell you the answer to any of those questions, and I’m pretty careful about what I eat. Do you believe that most people know how to read food labels and how to figure out whether their calories in are less than their calories out? (If you believe that, you’re more of a fool than I think you are.)