A grocery products trade group that represents Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and
other soft drink manufacturers is adamantly denying the scientific merit
of new research linking high fructose corn syrup with rising rates of
obesity and diabetes. Stephanie Childs of the Grocery Manufacturers of
America, repeats the same old lie told by everybody that sells
obesity-promoting products: the problem is simply that people eat too
many calories, she explains, not that people are drinking soft drinks.
It's the same old line: it's the consumers' fault, and soft drink
companies have every right to keep making and advertising products that
are now well known to promote chronic disease. They should have the
right to sell those products in our public schools, too, the industry
seems to be saying. Soft drinks "can be part of a balanced diet," they
ridiculously insist.
It's all a big lie, of course. Soft drinks
directly and inarguably cause obesity and diabetes, among other
problems. They are products that cause illness and suffering, and yet
they are sold without label warnings, and without any financial
responsibility on the part of the soft drink manufacturers to repay the
medical expenses incurred by consumers who suffer the consequences of
long term soft drink consumption.
If all this sounds familiar, it
should: it's the haunting echo of Big Tobacco, which continues to deny
that nicotine is even addictive! Soft drink companies are no less
ridiculous in denying that high fructose corn syrup doesn't promote
obesity. Perhaps someday we'll see a panel of soft drink company CEOs
testifying before Congress and swearing, right down the line, "I do not
believe soft drinks cause obesity."
The bottom line: soft drinks are
disease causing products. At the very least, they should be banned from
all advertising and from being placed in schools or hospitals. Better
yet, the FDA should require a large warning be placed on all soft drink
cans or bottles, stating, "This product has been shown to promote
obesity and diabetes." The soft drink industry, of course, will bitterly
fight against any limitation on their "right" to keep pushing
disease-promoting products onto our children and general public, but
when enough soft drink customers start dying from obesity, we'll begin
to see public pressure limiting the reach of soft drink companies.
Without a doubt, finding ways to limit the consumption of soft drinks
would save our nation billions of dollars in future health care costs.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In mid 2010, Adams produced NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Monday, May 17, 2004
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