Don’t Listen to Dr. Pepper About Your Diet

We’ll mention it again — we at Cardio High are not scientists. But we love to listen to scientists and we hope that everything we report on is scientifically accurate. That is why we have to make a decision today and agree with some scientists while definitely disagreeing with others. And it all has to do with Coca-Cola.

There is a funny non-profit out there called the Global Energy Balance Network which has some top scientific minds working for it. And these people say that we should be exercising as it helps us to be happy and healthy. But they also say it doesn’t mean we have to stop drinking soda. And this is where the NY Times shows there may be a problem.

Now, we are not saying that scientists of all stripes can be bought or even that these scientists are doing bad science. Some of their studies, such as saying that childhood inactivity is the greatest sign of adult obesity, may very well be true. But their messaging seems to rely heavily on saying that people need to exercise… and that’s about it.

Considering that so much of current research points to a bad diet as being the biggest hurdle when losing weight, the studies and statements by these researchers are pretty baffling. A single can of Coke, as the article mentions, requires about three miles of walking to burn off its 10 teaspoons of sugar. Seems the easiest thing would be to just substitute water for Coke.

The whole piece is fascinating and shows how the non-profit had conveniently left their connections to an international soda behemoth out of some of their work. It also shows how Coke has tried to influence various people and institutions by spending money that promotes exercise.

The backlash for Coke and the researchers has been severe. So is Coke funding good research? Let’s try a simple thought experiment. Would you fund a campaign that ultimately said people should stop consuming your product? Let us know your answer on our Facebook page.