Swimming in a tsunami

As reported in much of the media lately, the incidence of diabetes has increased greatly over the past few decades — not only among adults, but also among children. High sugar diets — especially those that include many soft drinks — have been found to be responsible for a great deal of the problem. What Michael Jacobson wrote in “Nutrition Action Health Letter,” the publication of The Center for Science in the Public Interest is startling: “Because per capita consumption has plummeted by more than 33 percent since 1998 in the United States and is sliding in Europe, the company is doubling down on selling its sugar water in highly populated low- and middle-income countries.”

The Coca-Cola Corporation is taking advantage of people all over the world by “marshalling teams of sophisticated ad creators, digital marketers and psychologists to design the most seductive ads possible to persuade teens and others to drink beverages that increase the risk of deadly chronic diseases.” As one marketing “expert” bragged: “We have young generations who can consume any kind of food and beverage, (they’re) not caring about their health yet.”

In a recent newspaper article, Dr. San Schillinger stated that diabetes has become a “new silent epidemic.” He warns: “I like to say we’re in a public health war on the home front that nobody’s talking about.” Especially those who do not read newspapers or watch related reports on TV, need to be educated about the damage to health that consuming nutritionless, highly-sweetened products can cause.

You’d think that an increased tax on such products would be supported everywhere, but the industry spends millions to fight it and in the process promoting their products wherever they think that people will fall for their hype. As Jacobson wrote: “I find it immoral that a company would use its billion-dollar war chest to carpet-bomb developing countries with propaganda that its executives must know will increase health problems.”

One step in the right direction: The city of San Francisco has been trying to counteract the industry by enforcing a law (the first such law in the nation) that would require a warning label on ads for sugary drinks. But, of course, the soda industry is desperately attempting to defeat the measure which the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved and is slated to go into effect July 25. In its effort to distract the public, the industry touts the following (among other lies): “Sodas are no more damaging to health than cheeseburgers or pizza.” Really? At least, when someone eats a burger or a slice of pizza, they are consuming some nutrients like protein from the meat or cheese and at least a few vitamins and minerals from the other ingredients. Sodas and other sugar-laden drinks offer no nutritional value — only the insult of an overdose of sweeteners. A single 20-ounce bottle of soda is reported to contain more sugar than the FDA recommends as the maximum consumed in a day.

Of course, the epidemic of diabetes will not decrease appreciably until more consumers wake up, become educated about nutrition and value their own lives enough to eschew such products that contribute to ill health. In the meantime, various facets of the food industry are beginning to tweak some of their products to give us the impression that they are concerned about our health. No doubt, they’re hoping that this will placate consumers enough to prevent any wholesale shift to healthier products and organic foods.

It’s outrageous that free enterprise can be taken to such an extreme that it damages the health of consumers in our country and throughout the world. The Coca-Cola Company is just one egregious example of how insidious corporate interests are increasingly impacting our lives — and how the results can be disastrous.

“Eating in America is like swimming in a tsunami. The best of intentions get pulled under by massive forces.” — Kelly D. Brownell, “Food Fight.”

Since 1984, Dorothy Dimitre has written more than 800 columns for various local newspapers. Her email address is gramsd@aceweb.com.