McClatchy Washington Bureau

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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