Nutritionist: Tax Sugary Drinks To Fight Obesity

ClickonDetroit ^ | September 4, 2006 | AP

[ShadowDancer]

Nutritionist: Tax Sugary Drinks To Fight Obesity

Drinks Should Be Taxed Like Cigarettes, Alcohol, Popkin Says

POSTED: 7:46 am EDT September 4, 2006

SYDNEY, Australia -- A leading nutritionist said we're "drinking ourselves into obesity" and sugary drinks should be taxed like cigarettes and alcohol.

The University of North Carolina's Barry Popkin said Americans are gulping down more sodas, fruit juices and sugar-laden energy drinks than ever before.

But he added, people aren't cutting their food intake to compensate for the extra calories.

Popkin thinks one way to slow that trend is to put a high tax on the high-calorie sweeteners used in soft drinks.

He said if those drinks were more expensive, people might drink more milk, juice or water.

Another researcher at the international obesity conference in Australia said sugar's just one factor in weight gain.

He said the key to a healthy lifestyle is "balance and variety and moderation."

[figgers3036]

'He said the key to a healthy lifestyle is "balance and variety and moderation."'

...and giving all your money to the government.

[mewzilla]

POPKIN, BARRY
CHAPEL HI, NC 27514
UNC-CH/PROFESSOR/PROFESSOR

CLARK, MARTHA FULLER
VIA CLARK FOR CONGRESS
10/08/2002 250.00 22992488934

POPKIN, BARRY
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514

EMILY'S LIST
08/27/2000 -250.00 20036040831

MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION
03/24/2004 500.00 24991016518

POPKIN, BARRY
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC - CH

EDWARDS, JOHN R
VIA EDWARDS FOR SENATE
06/09/1998 300.00 98020141976
08/24/1998 250.00 98020224375

POPKIN, BARRY
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC CHAPEL HILL/PROFESSOR

EDWARDS, JOHN
VIA EDWARDS FOR PRESIDENT
06/27/2003 400.00 23991407923

POPKIN, BARRY
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC-CH

EDWARDS, JOHN R
VIA EDWARDS FOR SENATE
10/19/1998 250.00 98020283135

EMILY'S LIST
03/20/2000 250.00 20035521797
04/12/2000 250.00 20035600521
08/21/2000 250.00 20036040579

POPKIN, BARRY
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA

OSTERBERG, DAVID
VIA OSTERBERG FOR CITIZENS
10/19/1998 250.00 98020283214

POPKIN, BARRY DR JR
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC/ECONOMIST PROFESSOR

MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION
10/21/2004 500.00 24991430614

POPKIN, BARRY M
,

JEAN A CARNAHAN POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/12/2002 250.00 22020530199

SHAHEEN, JEANNE
VIA SHAHEEN FOR SENATE COMMITTEE
07/12/2002 250.00 22020631611
10/08/2002 250.00 22020822347

POPKIN, BARRY M
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC

PRICE, DAVID E
VIA PRICE FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE
06/26/1998 300.00 98033301764

POPKIN, BARRY M
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC - CH

EDWARDS, JOHN
VIA EDWARDS FOR PRESIDENT
09/30/2003 200.00 23992116565

POPKIN, BARRY M
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC - CU/PROFESSOR

DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
08/20/2004 400.00 24971570729

POPKIN, BARRY M
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC-CH

DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
10/13/2000 200.00 20036391249

EDWARDS, JOHN R
VIA EDWARDS FOR SENATE
06/11/2002 200.00 22020541885

PRICE, DAVID E
VIA PRICE FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE
07/29/1998 250.00 98033503424
09/29/1998 250.00 98033672944
10/20/1998 250.00 98034131829
05/15/2000 350.00 20035813040
07/14/2000 260.00 20036201382

POPKIN, BARRY M
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC-CH/PROFESSOR PUBLIC HEALTH

MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION
09/01/2004 500.00 24971690923

POPKIN, BARRY M
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC-CHAPEL HILL/PROFESSOR

KERRY, JOHN F
VIA JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT, INC
03/23/2004 500.00 25971248248
07/12/2004 1000.00 24962253856

POPKIN, BARRY M MR.
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC-CH/PROFESSOR

EMILY'S LIST
03/16/2004 250.00 24991127147
05/14/2004 250.00 24961650473
06/17/2004 1000.00 24961943246
07/15/2004 250.00 24971403742
09/17/2004 1000.00 24971833554
02/18/2005 2500.00 25990247183
12/23/2005 2500.00 26980065010

PRICE, DAVID E
VIA PRICE FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE
10/04/2004 250.00 24971879888

POPKIN, BARRY M.
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC-CH/PROFESSOR

PRICE, DAVID E
VIA PRICE FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE
10/15/2001 500.00 22990271028
07/24/2002 262.00 22991681331
08/05/2003 500.00 23992083359

POPKIN, BARRY MR.
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514
UNC-CH/PROFESSOR

EMILY'S LIST
07/03/2001 250.00 21990423757
04/10/2002 250.00 22990975277
04/24/2003 250.00 23990923929
07/01/2003 250.00 23991780752
07/11/2003 250.00 23991780752
08/20/2003 250.00 23991951618
12/31/2003 250.00

[PAMadMax]

Not this crap again..........

Why don't we tax male homosexuals to pay for health costs associated with their lifestyles?

My brother died of AIDS and his health care costs for the state must've been over 200,000.00.

Or, let's tax funnel cakes at carnivals and fairs as they obviously lead to obesity....

[mewzilla]

That post wasn't meant to annony. Just to point out, that judging from his donor records, this guy's probably never met a tax he didn't love....

[ShadowDancer]

That post wasn't meant to annony.

It didn't, my eyes just glazed over the entire thing. Hahahaha

[muawiyah]

Guy's an idiot ~ it's not the calories, it's the carbohydrates.

[stockstrader]

Let's tax those, too, who do not 'jog' or exercise because of the higher health care costs that result from lack of fitness. s/off

[DeaconRed]

BETTER IDEA! ! ! !

TAX NUTRICIALISTS

[nh1]

Tax liberalism to fight stupidity!

[LIConFem]

May the Good Lord singe the britches of anyone and everyone who utters the words, "Tax it!" from this point hence.

[raybbr]

Remember yesterday??????

[keithtoo]

I believe there should be a heavy tax imposed on anyone who advocates increasing taxes - except for me.

[Graybeard58]

Drinks Should Be Taxed Like Cigarettes, Alcohol, Popkin Says

He has that bassakwards. Cigs and alcohol should be taxed like soft drinks.

[Paved Paradise]

Exactly. They should be taxed big time, but it'll never happen.

[razorback-bert]

I am in favor of removing all non-profit's tax exempt status making them pay their own way.

[Casio]

[i]Guy's an idiot ~ it's not the calories, it's the carbohydrates.[/i]

It is the calories. All food is being absorbed in the bowels, get into the circulation, travels to various organs and everything eventually broken down to its chemical components. The specific chemistry of all these is quite complicated, but the bottom line: at the end everything turns into molecules which are either.........

1. Used up by the body
2. Stored by the body

The body needs certain amount of energy. That is non-negotiable, it is either available or not. If not (the person ate less than the body needs), the body will be forced to reach out and use some of the stored energy. Most stored energy in the body is in the fat cells, some in the liver in form of glycogen.

If the person eats more than the body needs, the converted, but unused energy will be stored (fat mostly).

The source is immaterial, as the food is not stored in form of "hamburger cells", because there is no such thing. If the broken down elements contain molecules which carry energy, regardless whether originally it was protein, fat, carbohydrate, the end molecules will be the same (ATP, ADP).

The problem is far too simple and easy. For thousands of years obesity was rare. Why? Because food was never available in quantities it is available today. Thus people eat more, simple as that.

Gabor

[carumba]

...put a high tax on the high-calorie sweeteners used in soft drinks.

Diet Coke would be useful for something besides adding Mentos and watching the show. Unless compelled by force I will not drink that nasty stuff.

[muawiyah]

What you say is true if and only if the energy used to process a given calorie contained in protein, fat or carbohydrate is the same.

Alas, that's not the case. Consuming and burning fats is less efficient than consuming and burning the same caloric value in carbohydrates.

Therefore, carbohydrates end up providing more of that "surplus" that insulin stuffs into cells to be stored as fat for later use.

[Cheburashka]

No, what we need is to tax nutritionists. That way they will work harder at making us all slim.





Yeah, well it makes as much sense as trying to force people not to do what they want to do, doesn't it?