Coke adds life, not to mention pounds…

Coca-Cola® has allied itself with the American Academy of Family Physicians to provide health information on soft drinks. Yeah…. right! I am sure that we will be able to count on the integrity of information flowing from this group. in other news, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco has joined with the American Lung Association to provide tips on smoking safely!

Academy CEO Dr. Douglas Henley said Wednesday that the deal won’t influence the group’s public health messages, and that the company will have no control over editorial content. He said the new online information will include research linking soft drinks with obesity and will focus on sugar-free alternatives.

So, with the support of doctors, Coke® will be hawking Diet Coke® and other sugar-free alternatives. A health organization will be backing this course of action, totally ignoring the health factors and indicators associated with sugar-free alternatives.

Studies have indicated that sugar-free substitutes actually increase a person’s sweet-tooth and cause them to eat more, not less. A 2005 study by the University of Texas Health Science Center showed a link between use of these sugar alternatives and weight gain and obesity. There is also possibility of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar, a pre-diabetic condition). The body “tastes” the sweetness of the sugar substitute, and even though there is a low intake of sugars into the body, the body reacts by creating excess insulin to convert the sugars.

It is amazing to read such a bizarre story, and to have top health officials see nothing wrong with this partnership. They used to call it the fox guarding the hen-house.