Coca-Cola Says Calorie Intake is Not to Blame for Obesity

Bodyrock.tv|Alexa Erickson

Losing weight is not a task that can be a done in a day. You can't snap your fingers and suddenly drop the pounds you need to reach a healthy weight. And in our everyday lives, we read about, watch and listen to all of the ways in which we can achieve the body we want. Eat this, not that. Do this, not that.

The well known beverage brand Coca-Cola is adding to the mix, claiming that we need to worry less about our calorie intake and more about our exercise routine. Having funded a group of influential scientists, the brand is seeking to shift the blame from what we ingest to how much we sweat. In order to help these scientists spread the word, Coca-Cola has given financial and logistical support to Global Energy Balance Network, which is a new nonprofit organization.

 "Most of the focus in the popular media and in the scientific press is, 'Oh they're eating too much, eating too much, eating too much' - blaming fast food, blaming sugary drinks and so on," explains Steven N. Blair, an exercise scientist and the group's vice president. "And there's really virtually no compelling evidence that that, in fact, is the cause."

 But health experts aren't buying it, claiming that the beverage brand is simply searching for a way to keep Coca-Cola consumers assured that it's not sugary drinks that are to blame for obesity. "Coca-Cola's sales are slipping, and there's this huge political and public backlash against soda, with every major city trying to do something to curb consumption,"

  Michele Simon, a public health lawyer announced. "This is a direct response to the ways that the company is losing. They're desperate to stop the bleeding." Do you think Coca-Cola's finding are valuable, or do you, like heath experts, believe it is a desperate gesture for keeping their consumers happy? Source: Economic Times