DAVIS, Calif.—Adults who drink a soda or more per day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight than those who do not drink sodas, regardless of income or ethnicity, according to a new study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA).
The study, “Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California,” was based upon data from more than 40,000 interviews conducted by the California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS).
“The science is clear and conclusive: soda is fueling California’s $41 billion a year obesity epidemic,” said CCPHA Executive Director Dr. Harold Goldstein, an author of the research brief. “We drink soda like water. But unlike water, soda serves up a whopping 17 teaspoons of sugar in every 20-ounce serving.”
Research shows that over the last 30 years Americans consumed 278 more calories per day even as physical activity levels remained relatively unchanged. One of the biggest changes in diet during that period was the enormous increase in soda consumption, accounting for as much as 43 percent of all new calories. According to Goldstein, that research, combined with this new data on soda consumption, offers conclusive proof of the link between soda and obesity.