Peter Vu's Ironman Blog - Vineman 7/31/10

Mark Bittman of the NYT postulates in his recent article:

In their critics’ eyes, producers of sugar-sweetened drinks are acting a lot like the tobacco industry of old: marketing heavily to children, claiming their products are healthy or at worst benign, and lobbying to prevent change. The industry says there are critical differences: in moderate quantities soda isn’t harmful, nor is it addictive.


The problem is that at roughly 50 gallons per person per year, our consumption of soda, not to mention other sugar-sweetened beverages, is far from moderate, and appears to be an important factor in the rise in childhood obesity. This increase is at least partly responsible for a rise in what can no longer be called “adult onset” diabetes — because more and more children are now developing it.

Another quote:

The problem, says Dr. Frieden, is that, “Obesity is a major health problem that’s getting worse, and it’s clear that exhorting individuals to eat less and exercise more is not going to turn things around.” 

Read more here.

I used to be one of those people who drank soda in excess when I was younger. Now, that I have cut a lot of the refined sugars (i.e., high fructose corn syrup) out of my diet, I have lost a lot of weight--so much so that I am close to where I was entering college. And I do not attribute that weight loss mainly to my training because when I had completed my first marathon, I still weighed only a pound or two lighter than when I started. Heading into my second marathon / Ironman training, I really started to shed weight only when I started eating healthier and checking labels on the back of the box. 

Personally, I don't mind a soda here or there. I think children should be able to have them every so often too, but not in excess. Overall, parents need to educate their children about the risks, and I would imagine that the only people that can educate the parents would have to be the government, news media or scientists. As a nation, we have to admit that we have an obesity problem, recognize the dire consequences of that health issue and personally take responsibility in improving our condition.