The list of media-approved drinks in dwindling. Bottled water is out for its contribution to global warming, we're not supposed to chuckle at beer ads and energy drinks make kids sick according to the news media.
CBS and NBC warned of the dangers of soda, even diet soda, on July 23.
Soda "may be bad for our hearts," worried CBS "Evening News" anchor Katie Couric.
The CBS report focused on a woman "hooked" on soda, consuming eight glasses of soda a day according to CBS Medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook.
What CBS left out was an industry response, although the network had the opportunity. The American Beverage Association told Business & Media Institute that "Evening News" interviewed ABA president Susan Neely, but left it out of the broadcast.
NBC "Nightly News" Dr. Nancy Snyderman said, "a new study links soft drinks to risk factors for heart disease." She also said, it "suggests softs drinks become more of an occasional treat."
But the report from the Journal of the American Heart Association admitted the data was unclear.
Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, BMI adviser and president of the American Council on Science and Health, said to BMI that when it comes to soda addiction, "given that soda is 99 percent water, I cannot imagine what could be 'addictive' about it."




















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Moving On
July 24, 2007 - 16:45 ET by allanfI see trial lawyers plan to move on from tobacco to food. They are using some artillery, (the main stream media) to soften up the opposition.
Tobacco litigation began to succeed after trial lawyers convinced juries that cigarette companies deliberately manipulated the nicotine content of cigarettes. Look for the trial lawyers to assert caffeine is addictive. Soon there will be fat youngsters on television crying that Coke made me fat.
Oddly enough, the best juries for these claims will probably from Red States. In New York City, it is usually the business men and women who show up for jury duty. They have little tolerance for such claims.
To the MSM and Liberal
July 24, 2007 - 16:40 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveTo the MSM and Liberal whiners: Life is dangerous. Get over it. Enjoy it while you can. Live and let live.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
And...DON"T DRINK EIGHT
July 24, 2007 - 16:57 ET by Darth DutchAnd...DON"T DRINK EIGHT SODAS A DAY!!!
It's all about personal responsibility and moderation. You drink eight sodas a day, you may be more prone to having a heart attack.
Dutch
Is seven sodas a day bad? I
July 24, 2007 - 17:18 ET by NortonalecIs seven sodas a day bad? I need Ms. Couric to tell me EXACTLY what I need to do to make sure I never die!
Katie, call me??
Nortonalec
Yikes. Get out the
July 24, 2007 - 17:50 ET by Chris NormanYikes. Get out the defibriilator. I'm a ticking time bomb...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
now what???
July 24, 2007 - 17:54 ET by LionKingFirst breakfast cereals get blacklisted, and now this...just give me a Dew!!!
They're going to give all of
July 24, 2007 - 18:13 ET by Chris NormanThey're going to give all of us heart attacks from all the worrying they cause...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
Coffee anyone?
July 24, 2007 - 18:16 ET byi hear it's now good for you
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
They've had numerous
July 24, 2007 - 18:34 ET by JannyMaeThey've had numerous studies on coffee, and they haven't been able to establish that it's unhealthy, despite trying like heck!
I don't pay much attention to this garbage anymore. If you have a LOT of ANYTHING it probably isn't good for you, because you're probably not getting enough of something else.
Moderation, and a variety of foods make a good diet!
I knew a guy in the Navy
July 24, 2007 - 18:56 ET by nnptcgradI knew a guy in the Navy who drank two 2 liter bottles of Mt. Dew everyday. He had to retake an urinalysis because it registered as Dew. He was kind of famous because of it.
I wonder how long he lives.
Mother nature is a bitch - Ninth Corollary of Murphy's Law
That man is my hero.
July 24, 2007 - 20:31 ET by Heather RadishThat man is my hero.
"Pop" Science
July 24, 2007 - 22:56 ET by stratmanThis report falls on the heels of another recent soda report about how even diet sodas may be linked to obesity. The original report I heard, and then read about, said that people who drank diet colas figured they could eat more calories in the day, misjudged the total amount ingested, and ended up gaining weight. So it was not the diet cola per se that caused weight gain but the perception of being able to eat more since the diet drink did not add to daily caloric intake.
In the past we have had media (and sometimes medical communities) attacks on colas for their sugar - obesity, diabetes, behaviour issues and cavities; for their caffeine - stroke and heart dysrhythmias; for their sugar substitutes - cancer (mostly media hyped fear) and phynelketonurics (real danger), for their sodium content - hypertension and edema; and even for their effect on body/blood pH - rotting teeth/tissue and kidney troubles (can be real).
Now we have an amorphous, unscientific, unclear report about outlier cases for which the media wants to generalize to the entire population. Once again, the mythical three headed beast Cerberus (Hello to fellow Lost fans) of "pop" science, media hype and consumer fear rears its ugly head(s). (pun intended)
I believe that diet sodas cause metablic syndrome as much as Global Warming is caused by Mankind. The science is just as poor on this. Metabolic syndrome , formerly known as Syndrome X, is a group of signs which if present are thought to be predictive of developing diabetes and vascular disease (atherosclerotic heart disease, blocked arteries to the heart muscle that can result in heart attack, for instance).
The following is from http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/3000/3057.asp?index=10783:
Stress in and of itself can cause inflammation in the body. That inflammation can trigger a cascade of events leading to cholesterol and calcium deposition in blood vessels leading to blockage of the arteries. Caffeine can cause stress in the body. BUT, multiple studies and recent expert opinion suggest that caffeine in beverages is not a risk factor per se in atherosclerosis. (Smoking, bad genetics and high fat diet are the big culprits)
To put it another way, a wise old doctor was asked by a highly caffeinated medical student on how much coffee was too much. The elder physician inquired how many cups a day the student drank to which the student replied "Four". The sage physician then answered "Five is too many".
If you have no physiological, biochemical, anatomical or psychological issues with caffeine use, and there are a number of issues, then caffeinated colas are not an direct factor concerning metabolic syndrome. Same goes for all other components of diet colas as well.
While plain old water is the preferrable beverage in general, don't let this unsubstantiated kneejerk pop science media hyped story prevent you from enjoying a cola in moderation... as long as your doctor agrees! :-)
Killing them with kindness isn't working. Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.