California survey pinpoints soda as a main reason for obesity

At the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's first-ever conference on obesity, former President Bill Clinton broke the news that obesity costs are estimated at $147 billion per year for the U.S. See the CDC's report.

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Amy Tong | Sacramento Bee

A sweeping statewide study released today points to soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages as one of the main reasons why we are fat.

"For the first time, we have strong scientific evidence that soda is one of the if not the largest contributors to the obesity epidemic," Dr. Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, said Wednesday.

Obesity costs California $41 billion a year, an earlier report from the same organization found.

Suspicion of a link between soda and obesity isn't fresh news, but authors said the study is unprecedented in its scope.

"Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California" - a joint effort by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research - interviewed 42,000 Californians of all ages.

The study found that 24 percent of adults drink one or more non-diet sodas a day, and these adults are 27 percent more likely to be overweight.

Read the complete story at sacbee.com

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