When Goliath Blinks
After tobacco, the world’s biggest health problem is excess sugar intake. This isn’t news—but there is a growing chorus of alarm from concerned people like you and me.
Because the primary source of added sugar is soft drinks, our first Healthy Change said, “If you consume sodas (or other sugary drinks), limit yourself to one (12 oz.) serving per week.” It’s a change you can live with.
Well the Goliath of the soda world is Coca-Cola and for over a century they’ve ignored their critics, not deigning to acknowledge the issues . . . until now. The other day Goliath blinked. Coca-Cola, the most valuable brand in the world, announced a new strategy: They’d like to join the dialogue on unhealthy sugar intake.
It’s not usually a good thing when Goliath wants to play with you. To revise an old warning, “’Everyman for himself’, cried Goliath as he danced among the chickens.” So I didn’t expect anything noble of Coca-Cola.
Goliath’s Big Lies
Coca-Cola hasn’t quite been brought to its knees, but it is feeling the pain of “negative public sentiment” regarding their obesity-causing sugary products. They’re fully aware that US (per capita) soda consumption has been declining since 1998 due to public concern, per the Beverage Digest. So now they want to make nice.
A new advertising campaign will attempt to make two points in Coca-Cola’s defense. Both, in the view of WOWL, are a form of lying.
First, Coca-Cola will claim that all sources of calories cause weight gain. This is based on a common error often repeated by people who should know better: “A calories is a calorie.” What they mean is that a calorie from an apple will have the same effect as a calorie from a sugary Coke. This is patently false and ignores human biology and a mountain of research. There is no evidence that anyone has become obese eating apples, or benefited from fewer apples.
The second lie is that Coca-Cola has a history of providing drinks with fewer calories. If they are referring to Diet Coke or Coke Zero this is less than an outright lie but not quite the truth either. There is no evidence that diet drinks prevent or reduce our epidemic of obesity—they’re part of the problem.
Diet drinks are believed to reinforce the infantile desire for the sugary foods marketed by Food Inc. So while they appear to provide fewer calories, sweet cravings are reinforced and those addicted simply consume calories from other sugary products.
There’s also no evidence that the new vitamin-added drinks improve health—time will reveal what new ills they present. Frankly, water is the best drink, and vitamins are best consumed in their natural habitat—real food.
Exercise Can’t Solve Obesity
One more lie: A Coca-Cola ad slated to run before the Super Bowl shows people exercising, as though you could walk or run and simply erase the toxic effects of sugary drinks. You can’t. Exercise is good for lots of reasons but it’s best to exercise and limit soft drinks, we suggest, to one (12-oz) serving a week, or if you prefer, none at all.
The beauty of the once-a-week Healthy Change is that you’ll find yourself skipping the drink some weeks and that’s real progress against our most unhealthy addiction: excess sugar. Once one pushes sugar off the center of our diet, we can rediscover traditional flavors. Now that’s progress worth talking about . . . but what does Coca-Cola have to offer?
Monday, January 21, 2013 at 5:17PM | by Skip Hellewell | 4 Comments | 1 Reference | Share Article | Email Article
Reader Comments (4)
Wow! This post is an eye opener for me! I do love my soda drinks and I am trying to make a change in how much I consume. Have you ever heard that caffeine can help with depression? I wonder if it is just the sugar intake that gives you the boost of energy? I would love to hear more about your opinion on this. Your blog inspires me to do better and that is what is important. Thanks for all the research you do!
Did I miss this week's health challenge?
Hi Emily, there is a Healthy Change for this week, should be up by tomorrow. If you want a head start, Healthy Change #3 says you'll eat better if you plan better—by writing weekly dinner menus.
Angela, you asked whether caffeine helps with depression. About 1 in 5 women are diagnosed with depression at some time in their lives and it can be a terrible problem for some. From what I can see the answer regarding caffeine is, "It depends." (Of people who consume caffeine, 80% comes from coffee, 12% from tea, and just 3% from soda drinks.)
For some caffeine can contribute to depression through more research is needed to prove cause. It may be harmful in ways such as:
1. Replacing a healthy breakfast with coffee and a sweet roll, though it gives a brief burst of energy, worsens health through loss of beneficial longer-lasting nutrients.
2. Caffeine increases anxiety and nervousness, which is linked to depression.
3. Caffeine interferes with sound sleep, which is healing to depression.
On the other hand, a Harvard review of the Nurses' Health Study found that people who drank more coffee reported less depression than those drinking less. It wasn't a big difference, about 15% less depression risk for those drinking 2 or more cups daily. The mechanism is unknown, but taking time for a cup of coffee can be a relaxing and soothing break in a busy day. Whether the benefit is from caffeine or just taking time for yourself is not known.
So for some, caffeine is a risk factor for depression, and for others it helps them cope or may even reduce the risk. It depends. But taking care of your health with the best possible diet and exercise plus a little sun for vitamin D seems the wisest plan. If you're depressed and just can't bring yourself to do those things, reach out for help from good friends and wise doctors. There's no shame in asking for help, but it's a tragedy to sit home alone suffering.
That is so irritating; I hate when Food Inc tries to lessen the public's concern without doing anything substantial. The sad thing is that it will probably work, and people will feel reassured that drinking Coke "in moderation" won't really hurt them. My dad has a bad Pepsi habit which I believe causes his acid reflux which he then takes a daily Prevacid to deal with. It's such a vicious cycle and although I've never liked soda, I know it's very hard for some people to give up.