Daily #Soda Increases Child’s Risk of #Obesity by 60%

Government is starting to crack down on soda. And that’s good news because studies have shown that just one sugary drink a day increases a child’s risk of obesity by 60% and an adult’s risk of diabetes by 26%. San Francisco has a new program that might make a difference, but will it work?

The city’s new mandatory health warning labels on city advertising are part of a city-wide effort to encourage people to stop drinking soda. “Now, for every advertising message saying ‘live for now’ or ‘open happiness,’ consumers will also receive a science-based reminder that these products contribute to diabetes, obesity and tooth decay,” said Dr. Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health.

A new study shows that efforts like this can really work. Researchers followed consumers in Mexico, which consumes more soda than any other country and suffers from an obesity epidemic. After a 10% soda tax was implemented, most households reduced their intake by 12% and low-income households–which are disproportionately affected–by a full 17%.

And that was just in the first year.

We need to do something about this problem. In 2013, a Kaiser Permanente study found links between the BPA lined cans of food and drinks like diet soda and increased risk of obesity for puberty age girls.

And researchers at the University of Texas found people who drink diet soda were 70% more likely to be overweight. Drinking two or more diet sodas each day made a person five times more likely to gain weight, theoretically because artificial sweeteners inhibit the brain cells that make you feel full.

Pass the water, please.