Obesity in the UK parallels the US, is soda to blame?

There is still a lot of talking about the amount of sugar in soda, the over consumption by children (and the population on the whole) as well as soda’s links to obesity.

Some states in the US have banned larger format sizes from being sold, others have removed vending machines from schools.  Has it helped?  Will it?  In the UK, they are facing the same problems, however, some have a different view on soda’s culpability.

Dr Asseem Malhotra, co-author of Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ report, says that one in three children leaving primary school are overweight or obese and that up to a third of their sugar consumption comes from soft drinks. However, the British Soft Drinks Association counters that its products only account for 2% of calories in the average diet and that the idea that the obesity crisis can be resolved by taxing soft drinks hard is misguided.

Well… is soda helping control the weight gain?  Doubtful.  It always comes back to balance.  Everything in moderation.  Exercise.  Eat fresh.  Eat local.  As much as governments are feeling the pressure to do something about this global epidemic, the change will really come from the family unit, and the surrounding community.  Start at home, and work together to get/stay healthy.