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SOFT DRINK GIANT Coca Cola has spent millions funding scientists who argue that people should not cut down on their calorie intake.
A New York Times story published yesterday reported that the American arm of the company spent as much as $1.5 million on the launch of the Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN). The network’s scientists endorse the idea that removing fast food and soft drinks from your diet would not help fight obesity.
Instead, the company wanted researchers to argue that working out more could counter the effects of a bad diet.
One of the founders of GEBN, Steven Blair, argues that “fitness trumps fatness” in a number of videos.
In one released just last week, he said:
“Most of the focus in the popular media and in the scientific press is, ‘Oh they’re eating too much, eating too much, eating too much’ — blaming fast food, blaming sugary drinks and so on, and there’s really virtually no compelling evidence that that, in fact, is the cause.”
Blair’s opinion runs counter to a recent study by a group of cardiologists led by Dr Aseem Malhotra of Frimley Park Hospital and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which said that people could not outrun a bad diet.
The study, published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine said that “physical activity does not promote weight loss”.
Malhotra took specific aim at Coca Cola in his paper.
Coca Cola, who spent $3.3 billion on advertising in 2013, pushes a message that ‘all calories count’; they associate their products with sport, suggesting it is ok to consume their drinks as long as you exercise.
“However science tells us this is misleading and wrong. It is where the calories come from that is crucial. Sugar calories promote fat storage and hunger. Fat calories induce fullness or ‘satiation’.
The public health messaging around diet and exercise, and their relationship to the epidemics of type 2 diabetes and obesity, has been corrupted by vested interests. Celebrity endorsements of sugary drinks, and the association of junk food and sport, must end. The ‘health halo’ legitimisation of nutritionally deficient products is misleading and unscientific.
BMJ talk medicine / SoundCloud
For their part, Coca Cola told the New York Times that it has long worked on scientific research relating to its products.
““We partner with some of the foremost experts in the fields of nutrition and physical activity.
“It’s important to us that the researchers we work with share their own views and scientific findings, regardless of the outcome, and are transparent and open about our funding.”
The Times article also points out that this arrangement is far from unique. Pepsi, Hershey’s and McDonald’s have all funded The American Society for Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a lobby group which has been criticised by medical professionals.
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And their RiverRock water is purified tap water but everyone buys it making The Coca Cola Company even wealthier meanwhile Kerry Spring (actual spring water) went into receivership last week with the loss of about 30 jobs in Kerry.
Look up the UK section on Dansini, their failed bottled water. They started by marketing it as ‘bottled spunk’ (U.S. meaning). They used tap water but it was found to have unsafe mineral levels after coke remineralised it. They scrapped the brand.
Riverrock, so much sodium it fizzes
Who ever let facts get in the way of a good rant. Firstly The Coca-Cola Company has nothing to do with RiverRock, it’s a brand developed and owned by the company who has the franchise to sell Coke in Ireland, The Coca-Cola Company don’t make a penny off it. Secondly it’s not tap water and is pumped from its own spring.
Scientists can be sell outs as well. The power of the green
They should be arrested for fraud
Soft drinks don’t cause obesity.. Yeah and alcohol doesn’t cause drink problems
bad analogy. not everyone that drinks has a drink problem. also there are people whom if they drank would have a drink problem but have never touched a drop.
FFS – vested interest ? B()||()X
The second paragraph indicates that Coca Cola spent money encouraging scientists to endorse the idea that we should remove soft drinks from our diet.
Surely that’s the opposite point the article is trying to make?
Yes it does say that….confusion. But we do know that sugar is big business. The market leader has a turn over of 32,000,000,000 dollars. Also that exercise is only 20% of the battle to lead a healthy lifestyle with a trim figure.
Read it again – you’ve either mis read it or they have updated the article….
Should be on hardware shelves,its good for stripping paint and cleaning metals.
They must not be real scientists so.
Poison
Soft drinks don’t cause obesity. Bad eating habits do.
It’s a bad habit to drink soft drinks
Apparently in the mind of Stephen, all calories aren’t created equally.
I can just see what you do now Corky. As soon as you click on an article you Ctrl + F and type my name. Just follow me on twitter. Much easier way to track what I’ve commented on.
I thought obesity is body positive nowadays?
Everything in moderation. But the growing problem is that people are drinking/eating too much. And it’s true that it takes a lot of exercise to work off a can of coke.
But, it’s really down to a balanced lifestyle. Kids need to exercise more, rather than playing computer games all the time, and eat healthily. And healthy eating is not an economic issue. I was in a “deprived area” of Scotland recently and noticed that the staple breakfast for kids going to school was a can of Irn Bru and a packet of crisps, and they took the bus for about 500m. I’m sure that a slice of toast and some fruit would have been cheaper. It’s no wonder that obesity (with heart disease and diabetes) is increasing exponentially.
Healthy eating is definitely an economic issue. Fast food and processed rubbish caused nothing compared to good fruit and veg etc.
Nowadays big business drives/funds research. You begin by saying what you wish to be true and then set about proving it. Up to 70% of research is not published because of negative findings. Scientific results are therefore skewed in favour of a set of desirable truths driven by big business. http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21588069-scientific-research-has-changed-world-now-it-needs-change-itself-how-science-goes-wrong
it’s much easier to be given the result and work backwards from there
Meanwhile the Rugby World Cup is sponsored by coca cola and some ” heroes” are ” brand ambassadors”
bit of a misleading headline, coca cola has spent billions on lobby groups meanwhile real scientists have proved their claims wrong using peer reviewed evidence. But like the fake doctor smoking and advertising cigarettes while real doctors were telling people to quit
Our thousands of people giving credibility to a single flawed study on vaccinations.
And we’re supposed to believe that Scientific evidence is well thought out, peer reviewed and exact?
Yeah right.
Depending on which side of the bed the scientist got out that particular morning.
Food science has been pulling the wool over the public’s eye for decades.
Actually, I would go further and state that at least 50% of scientific ‘EVIDENCE’ is bogus and made up.
Con artists the lot of em.
Laughable comment calling all scientists con artists.
Never would happen with the climate change scientists…..oh wait.
The Koch brothers, big oil and big oil have spent billions trying to buy off climate change scientists and failed miserably just like coca cola have failed here and instead paid billions to lobby groups as opposed to real scientists
Well…best of luck to them I guess.
I have a science degree and am more than happy to say ‘soft drinks don’t cause obesity’ for $1.5m.
I’ve been to the USA several times and visited these fast food outlets and boy do they serve you up big portions, and on top of that all refills of drinks including powerade is free. I also noticed people walking into fast food restaurants and service staions with old paper cups and refilling free, the companies don’t care a bit about human health issues, just profit.
Big business never lies. Big business is as honest as Irish bankers. Big business has the integrity of the Irish Labour Party.
Diet Joke
Meanwhile the Rugby World Cup is sponsored by coca cola and some ” heroes” are ” brand ambassadors”
The ideal life style requires large scale consumption of Coca Cola, refined sugars, high volumes of alcohol, processed and refined starches, processed meats, hydrogenated fats, followed by some chain smoking.
Dirty heroin needles injected into the major veins on a recurring basis will prime the immune system. Foods rich in heavy metals also help.
I think it’s same with them adverts from Guinness ….. The evil swines told me for years Guinness is good for you and silly me believed them.
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