HowToPreventHeartDisease.com

Should Big Sugary Drink Be Banned?
 

Sugary drinks have been blamed as one of the leading culprits in the obesity epidemic in the United States. Americans have increased their daily intake of sugary drinks from 200 to 300 calories since the mid-1970s while they are getting less exercise.

According to a recent survey conducted by Health Department, if a person drinks a bottle of 470ml bottle soda rather than 590ml, he or she could save 14,600 calories a year. Such amount of calories can add about 4 pounds (1.8 kilos) of fat. An average-size woman would need to walk about 550 km just to burn off the extra calories.

Though many other foods do contribute to the problem of obesity, it is believed that sugary beverages should bear a greater share of the blame. Imagine this: a standard soda has gone from a 354ml can in the 1980s to a 591 ml bottle today, and a 591ml Coke has 240 calories or about 30 calories more than a Hershey chocolate bar.

As such, a new rule that was supposed to be implemented during March 2013 would restrict restaurants in New York City with self-serve soda fountains from giving out 470ml cups, though free refills would still be allowed.

Such action drew mixed reactions from various parties. As the new rule would certainly affect the beverage and restaurant industries, some restaurants felt that public health issues cannot be effectively addressed through a narrowly focused ban, while others are considering suing to halt the ban.

The rule does not apply to alcohol that has been shown by studies to play a larger role in obesity among adults, and many other things like potato chips or fries that are bad, so many doctors also doubted its effectiveness.

Some health experts explained that obesity is not just caused by drinking too many sugary drinks. There are still many other factors to consider. By concentrating on only soda drinks would certainly not be able to do much. Nevertheless, if the new rule is part of a broader social and scientific action on the dangers of excessive sugar, it might be effective. For instance, the fight against smoking took decades to translate into results.

On March 11, 2013, one day before the rule was supposed to take effect, the New York State Supreme Court made a surprise decision by striking down and calling the limits ‘arbitrary and capricious’.

Many residents have welcomed the court’s decision. In fact, 60 percent of the New York City residents had opposed to the new rule in a New York Times poll conducted in August 2012. Many beverage industries and restaurants had also expressed relieved as the new rule could have affected their sales. But they agreed to collaborate with city leaders to arrive solutions that would benefit the people of the New York City.

Yet, there were still people felt sad about the overturn of the ban. They pointed out that supersize sodas often cost just a few cents more made overindulging too easy. Some said that if people could not look out for themselves, it is better that somebody to look out for them.

The Mayor intended to appeal to the court and determined that the City can finally win the case and start the new rule. Similar proposals have also been put forward in Los Angeles and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Frankly, it is rather difficult to implement such ban in countries like America where people prefer to make their own decisions. By cutting down sugary drinks alone would never solve the obesity problem. But the rule has no doubt started a national dialogue, and it definitely raises people’s awareness on obesity issues.

To many people, the bigger effect is to continue to educate Americans about why the legislators have to do this. As shown in numerous studies, obesity could lead to many chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, certain type of cancer and even death.

Copyright 2007-2012 © HowToPreventHeartDisease.com . All Rights Reserved.d........
Created by EpublishingVault.com
Heart Disease Prevention - 8 Simple Ways You Can Do Immediately