The Coca Cola Conspiracy: The secret cause for the U.S. obesity epidemic

That SUGAR will F' you up something fierce!

Staying totally out of the way of junk foods is the way to go.

However Americans consume sustenance not FOOD "on-the-go" and not at rest and at ease like we were all taught at an early age to take your time in eating.

Now, time is too short and our variety of "foods" have exploded into another categorical realm of 5-hour energy drinks, caffeine and junk foods all of which do nothing but contribute countless free-radicals into the human body.

Coca-cola is just another scapegoat Fortune 500 foods company that is under scrutiny of the critics for no fault of their own.

Another iconic conglomerate being placed under the gun for the mistakes and errors in lifestyle choices that Americans make on the daily.

Industiralized processing of our foods is not without hazards. We've seen increased issues with bacterias and unknown contaminants in our food supplies.

Of course we remember that mercury was said to be found in (2009) high fructose corn syrup eh?

published online in the journal, Environmental Health (www.ehjournal.net...), is a science commentary reporting that mercury was found in 9 of 20 samples of commer-
cial high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

iowa.sierraclub.org...

I'm glad I very rarely drink soda...

People still drink soft drinks...?!

Originally posted by k1k1to
reply to post by fulllotusqigong

 

what about all the fat people that arent "genetically" pre disposed to be fat...and they dont drink any sodas and are still fat?

i know a couple of people who are about 50-70 lbs overweight, and theyve never touched a soda in their lives..

i dont thing sugar is the only culprit for obesity

Nurture trumps Nature on Obesity

FORT WORTH, Texas — High-fructose corn syrup isn't completely responsible for the nation's 6 million overweight children — but Dr. George Bray says it's a big part of the problem. Nurture trumps nature in the current childhood-obesity epidemic, says Bray. It's the environment we're creating for our kids that's the problem, and that environment includes increasing numbers of products high in high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS. Bray, who served as founding president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity and organized the first international congress on obesity in 1973, points out that between 1970 (when HFCS was introduced) and 2000 (when average yearly consumption of the ultra-sweet liquid sugar hit 73.5 pounds per person in this country), the prevalence of obesity more than doubled, from 15 percent to almost one-third of the adult population. And worse, much worse, obesity among children 12 to 19 — who consume a disproportionate amount of the soft drinks, fruit juice, sports drinks and packaged cookies and other baked goods that are sweetened with HFCS — increased from 4.2 percent in 1970 to 15.3 percent in 2000.

reply to post by ThisIsMyName

You didn't even include the fact that Diet soda is more likely to cause obesity than actual soda.

The aspartame in diet drinks, including soda, also cause numerous health issues including migraines. I have a severe migraines and my neurologist banned me from all diet drinks containing anything with aspartame, Nutrasweet, Sweet-N-Low, etc... because the number one side effect people aren't aware of is migraines. Thank goodness I can't stand the taste of it anyways. If diet "sugar" side effect can cause migraines, I'd hate to think what else it can do to us internally.

Originally posted by maestromason

Coca-cola is just another scapegoat Fortune 500 foods company that is under scrutiny of the critics for no fault of their own.

Another iconic conglomerate being placed under the gun for the mistakes and errors in lifestyle choices that Americans make on the daily.

The corporate-state subsidy scam is now global

Coca-Cola, IBM receiving millions in EU subsidies AGENCIES Dec 2, 2010, 02.42pm IST

Welfare-Case Companies: Coke, Pepsi, and the Soda Industry By Matthew Mallon Aug 05, 2010 5:30 pm

Care for a little social engineering with your sugar water? This July, the American Journal of Public Health said allowing people who receive assistance from SNAP (the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program -- the new name for the Food Stamps program) to buy soft drinks with that money amounts to a $4 billion federal subsidy of multinational giants in the carbonated beverage industry, such as Coca-Cola (KO), PepsiCo (PEP), and Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS). SNAP recipients can’t buy cigarettes or alcohol with their funds, the argument goes, and the United States is in the middle of an obesity pandemic every bit as dangerous to American health as those two killers. Studies link heavy soda consumption directly to obesity, and SNAP users tend to consume more soda than other consumers -- 40% more, according to the authors of the report. This week, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined the call to remove soda from the list of items that can be purchased with SNAP money. As part of his anti-obesity campaign, the mayor asked for permission from the federal government to block the city's $1.7 million food stamp recipients from using their SNAP coupons to purchase soft drinks and other sugary beverages. He'd like to test the program for two years to see if it would have an impact on soda consumption. Other critics of the industry claim that its subsidies go way beyond SNAP funds, though. They argue that long before a bottle of Coke or Mountain Dew reaches a shop shelf, the industry’s manufacturing expenditures have been reduced below their real cost by large corn subsidies.

HFCS -- paid for by the tax payer

Do you want to know who makes HFCS? It's Archer Daniels Midland. Do you want to know who pays for HFCS? That'd be you and I, in the form of the taxes we pay to the U.S. Government. The government spent $41.9 billion on corn subsidies from 1995 to 2004, a trough of money at which ADM gladly ate. ADM buys 12 percent of the nation's corn at a heavily subsidized price from farmers, and turns it into high-fructose corn syrup and ethanol.

Alright, i'm posting just for a bit of perspective.

I'm 21, I smoke a pack of cigarettes a day and my diet is, to put it bluntly - atrocious.
I'll have about 8 shots of coffee a day, I eat 1 meal per day and that meal is usually quick, take-away food (mcdonalds etc) then I get the munchies and fly through a few bags of chips, lollies and various other snack foods.
I'm 185cm and weigh 65kg.

I also buy a 30pk of coke cans every 4 or so days.

65kg

come at me

reply to post by cnsttsnc


I'm guessing you're in Europe -- the UK -- which doesn't use HFCS in their Coke.

Sucrose levels higher where HFCS is not consumed

In countries where HFCS is not used or rarely used, sucrose consumption per person may be higher than in the USA; sucrose consumption per person from various locations is shown below (2002):[40] USA: 32.4 kg (71 lb) EU: 40.1 kg (88 lb) Brazil: 59.7 kg (132 lb) Australia: 56.2 kg (124 lb)

Originally posted by daskakik
reply to post by Witness2008

 

It isn't bad in moderation. Just like everything else. If you drink a gallon of OJ a day your may still drinking about the same amount of sugar as if it were coke.

People don't seem to understand what HFCS is. It's just sugar from malted grain. It is the same process used to turn starches in grains to sugar to be fermented in beer. The same thing that happens when you sprout legumes and this is thought to be health food.

THIS is misleading. Maltose is the main sugar in malted grain, not fructose. Also, sprouted grains contain a complex carbohydrate profile as well as active enzymes, proteins, and vitamins.

Your BS attempt at science is shameful. Comparing highly chemically processed and nearly pure monosaccharides to a complex system of enzymes, many types of carbohydrates, and proteins is absurd. It's like comparing pure nitrogen to the complex mixture of gases that makes up our atmosphere. Nitrogen is a healthy and necessary part of the air we breath, but by when we isolate it, it becomes toxic.

By the by, I have an advanced degree in Chemistry and I work in the food industry. So, please, no more propaganda.

reply to post by cnsttsnc


I thought I would share because your diet sounded so much like a former work-mate I use to know. We both used to work testing games for a popular console and our employer made us work horribly long hours. To offset this they provided a soda machine where a can cost only 25 cents. My work-mate would consume on average around 8 sodas per 14 hour shift (more if we worked a 24 hour). He also frequented the McDonalds down the street ... come to think of it everyone in my department did.

Now at the time I was trying to eat better so I would make my own lunches at home with fresh ingredients and drink either the free water or tea provided. I actually lost weight while working there despite the sedentary nature of the work - while my work-mate gained a huge amount of weight! He also had to have kidney stones removed even though he was only 25 tops! He left the job for better employment, but I heard that he had further health complications made worse by his increased weight....

I still to this day shy away from sugary drinks (even juices) and try my best to drink lots of water because I literally saw the soda turning to fat on this guy and it made me cringe!

Star and Flag for the OP for sharing the video and information.

Originally posted by cnsttsnc
Alright, i'm posting just for a bit of perspective.

I'm 21, I smoke a pack of cigarettes a day and my diet is, to put it bluntly - atrocious.
I'll have about 8 shots of coffee a day, I eat 1 meal per day and that meal is usually quick, take-away food (mcdonalds etc) then I get the munchies and fly through a few bags of chips, lollies and various other snack foods.
I'm 185cm and weigh 65kg.

I also buy a 30pk of coke cans every 4 or so days.

65kg

come at me

How about the rest of the people in your family? Do they tend to be thin as well?

You see, just because you have a genetic disposition to high metabolism, an inability to absorb nutrients properly, or both doesn't mean anything in this conversation. It's about the forest not the trees, so please get some perspective yourself. This has to do with POPULATIONS, not individuals.

If want an individual opinion though, it sounds like you don't eat enough essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. You likely have very poor overall digestive efficiency as a result. Meaning that most of what you eat passes through and your body cannot adsorb it. This is terrible for you and it may manifest in different ways.

You only mention your weight. How about other health problems? Sleep patterns? Mental health such as depression, anxiety, etc? Probably some things you'd rather not talk about, I'm sure. But the world sees a skinny lad, so just worry about that.

Originally posted by cnsttsnc
Alright, i'm posting just for a bit of perspective.

I'm 21, I smoke a pack of cigarettes a day and my diet is, to put it bluntly - atrocious.
I'll have about 8 shots of coffee a day, I eat 1 meal per day and that meal is usually quick, take-away food (mcdonalds etc) then I get the munchies and fly through a few bags of chips, lollies and various other snack foods.
I'm 185cm and weigh 65kg.

I also buy a 30pk of coke cans every 4 or so days.

65kg

come at me

keep up with your diet...

at age 30, you'll be 85kg

at age 40, you'll be 100 kg

at age 50, you'll be 140 kg

at age 60, you'll most likely be dead.

Originally posted by henryleo
reply to post by cnsttsnc

 

Star and Flag for the OP for sharing the video and information.

Thanks -- I just found a slightly longer excerpt quote for Dr. Lustig's Coca-Cola Conspiracy slide:

My colleague Dan Hale at the University of Texas, San Antonio, tells me that down there they’ve got a “Texas-sized Big Gulp” — 60 ounces of Coca-Cola, a Snickers bar, and a bag of Doritos, all for $0.99. If you did that every day that’d be 112 pounds of fat per year. What’s in Coke? Caffeine. What’s caffeine? A mild stimulant, right? It’s also a diuretic — it makes you pee. What else is in Coke? Salt — 55mg of sodium per can. It’s like drinking a pizza. So what happens if you take-on sodium and lose water? You get thirstier. Why is there so much sugar in Coke? To hide the salt. When was the last time you went to a Chinese restaurant and had sweet-n-sour pork? That’s half soy sauce — you wouldn’t eat that. Except the sugar plays a trick on your tongue. You can’t even tell it’s there. Everybody remember New Coke? 1985? More salt. More caffeine. That’s the smoking gun. They know what they’re doing. That’s The Coca-Cola Conspiracy.

Originally posted by daskakik
reply to post by ANNED

 

According to this Relative Sweetness Scale it is sweeter than sucrose.

edit on 28-1-2012 by daskakik because: (no reason given)

Actually, the sweetness of fructose is temperature sensitive in humans. It tastes sweeter than sucrose at cold temperatures, which is why they first used HFCS in soda and other drinks. Now they use HFCS in everything (even deli meats) because it is produced on such a massive scale that it is actually cheaper than most other sweeteners.

I'm a recent 4+ sodas a day guy and I'm not obese but definitely overweight. I can't blame everything on the soda drinking but I know it's a big part of it. Anyway, I went this whole past week without drinking one soda of any color, diet or not, and decided that I'd have a dr. pepper on saturday to treat myself. A sort of cheat day, if you will. I had a headache within the hour of drinking half of it. 3 glasses of water later and it was gone. 3 hours later I find this post. I'm pretty sure I'm never going to drink a soda again. This HFC stuff is just ridiculous. It's in everything! IT'S IN BREAD! (I'm sorry if someone else has already pointed that out here) I could go on all night. Starred and Flagged.

Originally posted by cnsttsnc
Alright, i'm posting just for a bit of perspective.

I'm 21, I smoke a pack of cigarettes a day and my diet is, to put it bluntly - atrocious.
I'll have about 8 shots of coffee a day, I eat 1 meal per day and that meal is usually quick, take-away food (mcdonalds etc) then I get the munchies and fly through a few bags of chips, lollies and various other snack foods.
I'm 185cm and weigh 65kg.

I also buy a 30pk of coke cans every 4 or so days.

65kg

come at me

hey mate!
don't worry about it!
these toxins don't kill overnight.
you are thin, because you body is starving and not getting any nourishment, it its up all you eat / drink along with the toxins.
report back in 10 or 20 years, and we shall see how you got along.
cheers.

I work in the food industry and I can tell you what the main problem is: Corn subsidies.

Simply stated - when corn started to be subsidized every farmer planted it. It was a guaranteed paycheck from the government. Soon there was an overabundance of the stuff and food companies were tasked with figuring out what to do with it.

That's how it works. University programs get funding from USDA and corporations like Cargill to figure out how to make useful products from corn. Why? Because they have a s$%* load of extra corn and they need some way to push it. This is why there are literally hundreds of products and food ingredients that never existed until corn subsidies were introduced.

Originally posted by k1k1to
reply to post by fulllotusqigong

 

what about all the fat people that arent "genetically" pre disposed to be fat...and they dont drink any sodas and are still fat?

i know a couple of people who are about 50-70 lbs overweight, and theyve never touched a soda in their lives..

i dont thing sugar is the only culprit for obesity

What makes you think sugar is only in soda? Go to the grocery store and read. There is sugar in just about everything. Sugar in pizza? Really? Yep. Sugar in hamburger meat. Sugar in soup. It's horrible. It's like the video in the OP says, sugar is addictive. Every company in America is out to make a profit, so they put sugar in everything to make their food addictive so you eat and buy way more = more profit.

I used to be 290 lbs (5'8" tall so quite a bit overweight.) Diabetes runs in my family so I decided needed to do something before I got it. So I started eating foods with no sugar, and drinking only water. Basically mostly veggies. I still ate meat but I bought it from a local farmer who raised his cattle and pigs naturally. Within 6 months I went from 290lbs to 200lbs with no extra exercise. Not only that, but I don't get my recurring headaches or back pains anymore, and felt alive and awake every day.

It's amazing!

Originally posted by ThisIsMyName
reply to post by fulllotusqigong

 

You didn't even include the fact that Diet soda is more likely to cause obesity than actual soda.

That contains that well know health additive ASPARTANE!
And we know what that does, don't we!

Originally posted by WP4YT

Originally posted by k1k1to
reply to post by fulllotusqigong

 

what about all the fat people that arent "genetically" pre disposed to be fat...and they dont drink any sodas and are still fat?

i know a couple of people who are about 50-70 lbs overweight, and theyve never touched a soda in their lives..

i dont thing sugar is the only culprit for obesity

What makes you think sugar is only in soda? Go to the grocery store and read. There is sugar in just about everything. Sugar in pizza? Really? Yep. Sugar in hamburger meat. Sugar in soup. It's horrible. It's like the video in the OP says, sugar is addictive. Every company in America is out to make a profit, so they put sugar in everything to make their food addictive so you eat and buy way more = more profit.

I used to be 290 lbs (5'8" tall so quite a bit overweight.) Diabetes runs in my family so I decided needed to do something before I got it. So I started eating foods with no sugar, and drinking only water. Basically mostly veggies. I still ate meat but I bought it from a local farmer who raised his cattle and pigs naturally. Within 6 months I went from 290lbs to 200lbs with no extra exercise. Not only that, but I don't get my recurring headaches or back pains anymore, and felt alive and awake every day.

It's amazing!

edit on 29-1-2012 by WP4YT because: (no reason given)

sugar, wheat and toxins are in 95% of supermarket shelf item.
True story that.