Posts Tagged ‘beverage’

This is a spin machine that any politician would be proud to own. Chile enacted a broad set of food system regulations in 2016 that many folks in public health simply love. The intent? Put an end to this obesity thing. This week, PLOS Medicine published a study of their effects and the fan club erupted […]

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rendered a great truth this week. The word diet doesn’t mean much. That word is no guarantee that whatever it describes will make you lose weight. In fact, you might even gain weight. Said this San Francisco court in a unanimous ruling: The prevalent understanding of the […]

Victory is right around the corner. It’s not easy, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have finally figured out how to win the war on childhood obesity. They’ve published a joint position paper that calls for taxing sugar-sweetened beverages and curbing advertising for such products. Benjamin Winig of […]

How many times have we documented a correlation between diet sodas and cardiovascular disease? Who cares, say the editors of Stroke. Apparently, the click bait is irresistable. Thus, we have the upteenth correlation study, unsupported suggestions of causality, and a tidal wave of sensational headlines about diet soda, strokes, heart attacks, and death. We have […]

We have some surprising days ahead in the war on sugar. We now have a decade of it behind us. So people all over the world are responding. Canada offers us a new snapshot that tells us how it’s going there. If you believe the self reports, sugar in Canada is down. But the picture is […]

Is this a millennial dream? Or instead, a caricature? Recess is coming at us with a distinctive vibe for sparkling water – infusing it with hemp extract and “adaptogens.” The brand promises balance and clarity. Can this be what’s replacing soda for generations to come? Tapping All the Trends In case you haven’t noticed, big soda’s […]

Who pays and who benefits from a national sugar-sweetened beverage tax? A new paper in AJPH asked this question and demands our attention. Unfortunately, instead of offering objective answers, we find only wobbly math used to make a point about the hypothetical cost-effectiveness of an SSB tax. A Complex Model to Make a Simple Point […]

Health reporters have a news flash for us. Soda is the worst! All those other sugary foods? Not so bad, say the headlines. For diabetes risk, soda is the thing to fear. A Very Nuanced Study vs Sensational Headlines Why are we suddenly awash in such headlines? A study in the BMJ is at the […]

ObesityWeek brings together diverse perspectives – scientists, clinicians, and public health professionals. We heard from all of them last week. “Sugar-sweetened beverage taxes work,” a number of public health folks told us. “For their intended purpose. To reduce unhealthy beverage consumption.” That last bit provides the important fine print. Taxes on SSBs are spreading all over […]

A jarring story is playing out in public health. Momentum is growing to tax sugary drinks and junk foods all over the world. From a perch of privilege it sounds good. If you tax these bad foods and drinks enough, people will stop buying them. Even better, modeling exercises tell advocates that the benefits will […]