Landmark Soda Hearings Showcase Obesity Link

LOS ANGELES--(Business Wire)--
In today`s landmark hearings called by State Senators Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima)
and Elaine Kontominas Alquist (D-San Jose), representatives from the soda
industry failed to acquit themselves of a growing body of research implicating
sugar-sweetened beverages as the leading culprit in the obesity epidemic.

"The science presented today was clear and conclusive: soda and other
sugar-sweetened beverages are leading contributors to the nation`s runaway
obesity epidemic," Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public
Health Advocacy (CCPHA) said immediately after the four-hour hearings. "The
problem is we drink soda like it`s water, but it`s not - the average 20 ounce
soda delivers a whopping 17 teaspoons of sugar. In light of all we heard today
about the adverse health impact of soda, we simply cannot afford to raise
another Pepsi generation!"

Nearly 20 organizations provided testimony at the special joint hearing of the
Senate Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes and the Senate Health Committee
to explore the link between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity. And while the
soda industry rolled out their own cadre of spokespeople, they could not dispute
the latest science:

* California adults who drink a soda or more a day are 27 percent more likely to
be overweight or obese, regardless of income or ethnicity.
* A child`s risk for obesity increases an average of 60 percent with every
additional daily serving of soda.
* The average American consumes 50 gallons of soda or other sweetened beverages
each year, adding the equivalent of 39 pounds of sugar to their diet.

"These hearings offered a rare opportunity to review the research and hear from
all sides in this debate. Given what we`ve just learned, if we`re serious about
making an impact on obesity, soda is the natural and logical place to begin.
It`s now incumbent on California legislators to determine how best to address
the enormous harm done by soda in California in order to protect the health of
our children and our state," Goldstein said.

CCPHA is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization leading efforts in
California to understand and address the state`s growing obesity crisis. For
more information on this legislation, visit the CCPHA site at:
www.publichealthadvocacy.org.

CA Center for Public Health Advocacy
Dr. Harold Goldstein, 530-297-6000 or 530-400-9106
or
Brown∙Miller Communications
Michael Miller,800-710-9333

Copyright Business Wire 2009