Caloric Consumption Going Down

Obesity remains one of the gravest public health challenges facing our nation and the world.  Among other things, it places huge demands on our health care system.  So, it comes as good news that according to research done at the University of North Carolina (reported here), "while per capita intake of sugary, calorically sweetened drinks remains high in children and adults, the amounts they are drinking on a daily basis has decreased significantly. Among children ages 2 to 18 years, daily intake totals of calorically sweetened beverages dropped from 616.2 ml/day in 2003 to 460 ml/day in 2010. Among adults, the reduction also was significant, dropping from 536.4 ml/day in 2003 to 441 ml/day in 2010."

Soft drinks are still being consumed at an alarming rate in the U.S., but the trend away from sugary soft drinks is important and, evidently, being encouraged by the beverage industry itself.  This is not to say that the industry has suddenly become a knight in white armor when it comes to the fight against obesity, but at least it is beginning to show some concern for the impact its products are having on our well-being.  We can only hope that the public is becoming more aware of the need to cut back on sugary drinks and, thus, also creating a demand for sugar free products.  Obviously, there is still a long way to go, but it is encouraging that the trend is headed in the right direction.  Amen.

Thank You, CNN

Death by Soda

As RPK's humble contribution to better health, I'm going to keep putting on the Rom Phra Khun table the fact that processed sugar is dangerous to our health.  Call it one ongoing RPK theme—or a minor rant, if you like.  Anyway, thanks to CNN for its recent posting entitled, "Soft drinks: Public enemy No 1. in obesity fight?"  The long answer to the question in the posting's title is, "No, not all by itself."  The short answer is, "Yes."  The posting includes some hopeful data: obesity rates among women and girls in the U.S. have actually dropped slightly in recent years while increasing among men and boys only slightly.  The consumption of soft drinks (diet as well as "regular") has dropped by 17.3% since 1998.  Still, the problem of obesity and the contribution of soft drinks to the problem remains huge and a major drain on our healthcare system.  More importantly, drinking this junk harms individual lives.

Dear readers, soft drinks are not good for you.  They're corrosive and contribute to ill health.  In the video still shot at the head of the CNN posting,  are the words, "2011: Sugar a toxin, doctors say."  And that is food for thought (pun intended).  If you drink the stuff, please for your sake and that of those who care about you, please, stop.