Benefits of a Sugar Tax on Sodas in Relation to Diabetes Blog Project Post #1

Sodas have little to no nutritional value, it says so on the label. Soft drinks are composed entirely of empty calories provided by sugar. Children and adolescents who drink these beverages are increasing their chances of devoloping diabetes and becoming overweight or obese exponentially. One 12 ounce can of soda has approximately 130 calories. Most people who drink soft drinks do not just drink one a day. Therefore, there are people who consume something like 400 calories a day of pure sugar from drinks. How could that be good for you in any way? It has been proven many times that consuming such beverages is highly detrimental to your health.
Why do schools make such drinks readily available for children? In doing so they are laying the foundation for a poor diet! I know they taste great but sodas are obviously addicting and kids don't deserve to be hoodwinked by soft drink corporations disguising a whole day's worth of sugar in a brightly packaged bottle!
One way to help the fight against diabetes is by enacting a sugar tax on sugared beverages. In this way, soda consumption will be deterred by higher prices. This is a strategy which has worked on tobacco products. If a soda costs more than something healthy there would be a bigger chance that a person would buy the cheaper and healthier drink. An article in the New England Journal of Medicine by Kelly D. Brownell and Thomas R. Friedan stated that, "A penny-per-ounce excise tax could reduce consumption of sugared beverages by more than 10%." Imagine the impact that could have on reducing the numbers of people suffering from diabetes and obesity. So, even if we can't get soda machines removed from places such as junior highs right now, we can still impact the immediate future.

"First direct evidence of link between belly fat and heart disease". TopNews.in. March 10, 2010 .



"Ounces of Prevention — The Public Policy Case for Taxes on Sugared Beverages". The New England Journal of Medicine. February, 12, 2010 .