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January 29, 2010
Doctors Reject Soda Tax
Posted by Dave Blount at January 29, 2010 11:41 AM
A recent fad among the liberal bureaucrats who thoughtfully aspire to save us from ourselves is the soda tax, intended to discourage us from packing on unhealthy pounds by drinking too much Coke. Or is it only intended to provide our rulers with yet another excuse to boss us around and steal our money? Here's a clue — when the New England Journal of Medicine attempted to follow The Lancet off the cliff into left-wing advocacy by publishing a call for soda tax, reader response was overwhelmingly negative. A few examples:
Dr. Michael G. Kaplan of Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn:
Before assigning blame for the obesity epidemic, we should have clinical evidence that an intervention to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is effective in achieving this goal, is either more effective or additive to the effect of other proven dietary therapies, and will reduce the long-term propensity for obesity.
Dr. Michael Keane of Casey Hospital in Australia:
In attempting to restrict peoples' liberty, the onus is on the authors to convincingly show that the vast majority of the population has no concept that consuming junk food (including soda) in excess has the potential for adverse health effects. Yet, their article includes data showing that a majority of people support a tax on health grounds, which undermines the argument that some sort of market failure has made it impossible for consumers to be aware of the dangers of drinking too much soda.
Dr. Michael J. Rinaldi of the Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute:
If soda is taxed, should this tax also be applied to all "fast food," confections, or portion size? Why limit it to food? Should we not tax all behaviors linked to health care expenditures? Why not deter gun and motorcycle ownership or sedentary lifestyle through taxation?
Please, Dr. Rinaldi, don't give them any ideas.
Science doesn't concur with bureauweenies that cracking down on soda would save the world from an epidemic of morbid obesity:
• A British study of 644 kids between the ages of 7 and 11 found that the ones who drank fewer carbonated beverages had lower BMIs [body mass indexes] after one year compared with kids who didn't. But the difference in BMI wasn't statistically significant. That means the difference could easily be explained by random chance. This study did find that kids who drank fewer sodas were slightly less likely to become obese.
• A Brazilian study of 1,140 9- to 12-year-olds found that a program to discourage kids from drinking sugary drinks had no effect on overall BMIs. The only group with a statistically significant benefit was overweight girls.
• A Boston study of 103 high schoolers found that those who consumed diet drinks for 25 weeks didn't lose weight compared with kids who drank regular soda, though there was a statistically significant difference for the one-third of kids with the highest BMIs.
• A Chilean study of 98 overweight children found that those who drank milk instead of sugary beverages didn't have a statistically significant reduction in body fat, though there was a bona fide increase in lean mass.
But there are only two points to the soda tax, now endorsed by the quintessential nanny state totalitarian, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg: to raise revenues for Big Government, and to encroach upon every last detail of our private lives. Whether significant weight loss were to occur wouldn't be any of the government's business anyway.
On a tip from Dave P.
