Food Warning Labels

By Quinn Phillips Here at Diabetes Flashpoints, we've discussed various schemes that have been proposed to limit the consumption of sugary beverages. As proponents of these measures note, there is compelling evidence that sugar-sweetened (nondiet) soft drinks play a unique role in the obesity epidemic, although they are certainly far from the only cause of obesity. But most major initiatives — special taxes on sugary beverages, as well as proposed limits on their serving size — have failed, as the beverage industry and some consumers rallied against them. While we can't know how effective these measures might have been at reining in obesity, one recent study suggests that the effect of a sugary-beverage tax would be small. According to the study's lead researcher, as quoted in an article at DoctorsLounge.com, both unawareness of the tax and indifference to it — as well as the wide range of high-calorie food items not covered — mean that such a tax would barely make a dent in the obesity rate. This differs from the effect of cigarette taxes on smoking rates; since smokers lack an easy alternative to highly taxed tobacco products, they are more likely to purchase fewer cigarettes or quit altogether rather than switch to an untaxed but similarly harmful product. This comparison of sugary beverages to cigarettes raises an interesting question: What would happen to the rate of sugary-beverage guzzling — or, perhaps more importantly, overall sugar inta...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs