Breaking News: Soda makes us fat?

Breaking News: Soda makes us fat?

Guys come on, why should Soda bear all the burden, say the world's beverage makers...

September 23, 2012 10:10 by M. Aldalou

Hold on to your seats Kippers because all this time we’ve wasted wondering what it was that was making us gain weight is now over. Americans have been, for sometime now, seeking the culprit that’s feeding (no pun) the nation’s obesity epidemic and amid their head-scratching confusion; three new published studies have finally revealed a stronger link between sugar-sweetened beverages and expanding waistlines. Of course, the U.S. isn’t the only country facing an obesity epidemic as a few GCC countries have many-a-time topped the list of the fattest and the laziest.

Kipp must admit though, we had no idea that these studies would link sugary soda to obesity. I mean the thought of those yummy, fizzy heaven-in-a-can drinks enlarging our waist line is unfathomable. But now, thanks to the studies, we have facts behind us making the case stronger than ever. Angry beverage makers are finding it more difficult to contest the results.

I suppose Bloomberg knew it all along, having beaten us to the punch by banning the sale of large sodas.

“I know of no other category of food whose elimination can produce weight loss in such a short period of time,” said Dr. David Ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, who led one of the studies. “The most effective single target for an intervention aimed at reducing obesity is sugary beverages.”

Naturally, obesity is hardly ever linked or caused by one single beverage, says the American Beverage Association. Oh lord, consider the source. “Studies and opinion pieces that focus solely on sugar-sweetened beverages, or any other single source of calories, do nothing meaningful to help address this serious issue.”

‘If common sense was adequately applied, science would be redundant.’

Sugary drinks have been in the crosshairs for some time now but beverage makers have been ‘fiercely’ rejecting the notion that a ‘single source of daily calories’ should bear so much responsibility.

Earlier this year, the UAE found itself on the spot of the fifth heaviest country in the world, with expatriates complaining that the drastic change in lifestyle is the main cause of their rapid weight gain. On average, every adult here consumes more than 3,000 kilocalories a day — about 500 more than the world average. Kuwait was ranked as the second heaviest, followed by Qatar, Egypt and Bahrain.