Dear Stop Sugar,

I was reading an article on a UCLA study which directly links soda with obesity. “Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California” was conducted in 2005 by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. It involved 4,000 adolescents and 43,000 adults.

Among the key findings of the study are: 10.7 million Californians drink one soda or sugar-sweetened beverage a day; 41 percent of California children, 62 percent of adolescents and 24 percent of adults drink at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day.

I can not believe these shocking numbers. This just validates our countries addiction to sugar laden drinks. If those numbers are not enough to show our soda addiction check out these...

Soda by the Numbers

17 Number of teaspoons of sugar in a 20-ounce bottle of soda.

22 Number of teaspoons of added sugar Americans consume daily, compared to the recommended 5 to 9 teaspoons.

50 Number of gallons of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages the average American consumes annually.

43 Percentage of additional calories Americans have been consuming since the 1970s that come from soda.

149 Percent of increase in volume of average size soda sold in the 1950s compared to the average size sold today.

450 Different types of soft drinks produced by the big three soda companies.

60 Percentage of increase in a child’s risk for obesity with every additional daily serving of soda.

60.4 Percentage of adolescents in Ventura County drinking one or more sodas per day.

24.8 Percentage of adults in Ventura County drinking one or more sodas per day.

58.4 Percentage of adults in Ventura County who are overweight or obese.

24.3 Percentage of adults in California drinking one or more sodas per day.

56.1 Percentage of adults in California who are overweight or obese.

— Source: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

Sincerely,

Lisa Foulten, Vienna, CA