Winnie Lu
Law 1101 – Class 2
Debate Report

Bloomberg’s ban on large sugary drinks

Banning the size of soft drink is one way to reduce the sugar overload in a city. Mayor Bloomberg is seeking to reduce the obesity rates by banning the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, street carts and movie theaters. Under his plan, all restaurants, fast-food joints, delis, movie theaters, sports stadiums, food carts and vending machine will be barred from selling sugar-sweetened drinks in cups larger than 16 ounces. He has called sugar-sweetened beverages a leading cause of obesity and says raising awareness simply isn’t enough anymore. “If we are serious about fighting obesity then we have to be honest about it and courageous about tackling it. We believe it is reasonable and responsible to draw a line.” Bloomberg stated
According to statistics, Americans consume close to 50 billion liters of soda per year, which equates to about 216 liters, or about 57 gallons per person. That is a significant amount of sugar. However, it’s not just any sugar, but high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). High fructose corn syrup has become the number one source of calories in the United States, and it’s very clear that it is the primary cause of obesity.
A peer-review study published in the British medical journal The Lancet demonstrated a strong link between soda consumption and childhood obesity. They found that 12 year olds who drank soft drinks regularly were more likely to be overweight than those who didn’t. And those who drink diet soda are just drinking another type of poison, as diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners instead of caloric sweeteners. They don’t do anything to curb the obesity epidemic since diet soda is clearly linked to obesity as well, but through different mechanisms.
Another health risks that soda causes besides obesity is a higher cancer risk. Numerous studies have pointed out the link between sugar and increased rates of cancer, suggesting that regulating sugar intake is key to slowing tumor growth. Studies have linked sugar intake with breast cancer, throat cancer, and colon cancer.
Nevertheless, how is this all possible? It’s not that fructose in and of itself that is bad, it’s the massive doses of fructose people exposed to that causes trouble. Fructose, as opposed to glucose, is particularly damaging to your body due to the way it’s metabolized. The entire burden of metabolizing fructose falls on your liver, which creates a number of waste products and toxins.
We all know that weight gain is subjected to environmental influence. Biological factors also play a role in being overweight or obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one third of U.S. adults are obese. As genes appear to be responsible for about 70% of adult weight. (Allison et all., 1994; Hamer & Copeland, 1998). One study found that adults who have been adopted as children were much closer in weight to their biological parents than to their adoptive parents. (Maes, Neale & Eaves, 1997).
You may ask, why are sugary soft drinks so difficult to give up? That’s because we got used to it and our bodies develop this want and need and desire to seek out that sugar. If you are somebody who has been drinking sugary drinks and you are used to having that sugary drink versus water, you’re going to desire to go back to it. Our bodies can be addicted to sugar.
In 2010 in the United States, the researchers report that 25,000 deaths were linked to sugary beverages; these drinks were associated with 133,000 diabetes deaths, 44,000 heart disease death and 6,000 cancer deaths.
A large number of deaths each year are caused by drinking sugary beverages. Our findings should push policy makers to reduce consumption of sugary drinks, such as taxation, mass-media campaigns and reducing availability of these drinks. Individuals should drink fewer sugary beverages and encourage their family and friends to do the same.
The American Heart Association recommended that women limit their added sugar to no more than 100 calories per day, or about 6 teaspoons of sugar. For men, it’s 150 calories per day, or about 9 teaspoons. That’s slightly less than the amount found in a single 12 oz. can of sugared soda.
Allison, D.B., Neale, M. C., (1994) A genetic analysis of relative weight among 4020 twin pairs, with an emphasis on sex effects. Heath Psychology, 13, 362-365
Maes, H. M. M., Neale, M. C., & Eaves, L. J. (1997) Genetic and environmental factors in relative body weight and human adiposity. Behavior Genetics, 27, 325-351
Soft drinks banned by mayor Bloomberg, Lind P., The Washington times. March 10, 2013. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/stress-and-health-dr-lind/2013/mar/10/soft-drinks-banned-mayor-bloomberg/ Retrieved on April 22, 2013.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Overweight and obesity. August 13, 2012. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html Retrieved on April 22, 2013.
Sugary beverages linked to 180,000 deaths worldwide, Sifferlin, A. March 20, 2013. Time Health & Family. http://healthland.time.com/2013/03/20/sugary-beverages-linked-to-deaths-worldwide/ Retrieved on April 22, 2013