Pediatricians, heart health advocates endorse soda taxes for the first time – IOTW Report

Pediatricians, heart health advocates endorse soda taxes for the first time

When do  they plan to endorse a tax on eating utensils?

WaEx: For the first time, the nation’s leading pediatrics and heart health advocates have endorsed soda taxes.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association released a policy statement on Monday pushing for local, state, and federal governments to place limits on sugary beverages through advertising restrictions, warning labels, and limitations on what children can have to drink in restaurants. Many of the suggestions mirror laws passed to successfully reduce tobacco use, and the organizations said they are meant to reduce obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

“This is kind of the low hanging fruit,” said Dr. Sheela Magge, co-author of the policy document. “There is no nutritional value in drinking soda … We have already said we don’t recommend them, but this is actually recommending public policy in terms of trying to reduce children’s consumption of sugary drinks.”

The organizations support water and milk as the default drinks for children and teens. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children consume 17 percent of their calories from added sugars, nearly half of which are from sugary drinks. Government dietary guidelines recommend people consume no more than 10 percent of their calories from added sugars.

A growing number of cities have passed soda taxes, though the beverage industry has been effective at pushing back.

“America’s beverage companies believe there’s a better way to help reduce the amount of sugar consumers get from beverages and it includes putting parents in the driver’s seat to decide what’s best for their children,” said William Dermody, spokesman for the American Beverage Association.  more

 

13 Comments on Pediatricians, heart health advocates endorse soda taxes for the first time

  1. None of the damn government’s business. If government bureaucrats have time to worry about this kinda stuff those bureaucrats should be the first on the chopping block. We cannot afford them, we do not need them.

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  2. …are these the same “pediatricians” that say I need to start hormone therapy and penisectomy plans for my 2 year old if his “gestures” seem to suggest he wants to be a girl?

    …Democrats can shop for “pediatricians” just like they can for “judges”, you know…

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  3. The nanny state can fuck right off. Seriously. My child doesn’t drink soda unless we go out to eat. We go out to eat a handful of times a year. If I want to let my non-obese child have a soda a few times a year it is nobody’s business.

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  4. It was probably only one affirmative pediatrician and he works for Aqua Springs expensive tap water enclosed in a climate ruining plastic bottle, inc!

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  5. Something tells me sugar free soda will also be taxed. They just want more money to spend on other projects. They don’t care if you live or die, they’ll just let more strangers walk in over the border to replace us. Do they care if I ruin my liver drinking alcohol or is it just that they just need more tax dollars to spend on government workers who vote for them?

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