This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Today marks the beginning of the 2014 National Soda Summit, a conference hosted in Washington D.C. by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The summit runs through June 5th.
Researchers, policy makers, and public health advocates are gathering to share the latest science, policies, and practices related to reducing sugary beverage consumption. If you, like me, cannot be there in person, a great way to stay tuned is to follow the hashtag #SodaSummit14.
I took a look early this morning and wow, these folks are on it! Below are a few sample live tweets from the first session outlining the latest science showing the health dangers of sugary drinks. Panelists for this discussion included researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, the University of Chicago School of Medicine, and University of California, Davis:
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"Ironically, most sports drinks are consumed by people who don't play sports." Dr. Frank Hu #SodaSummit14— CCPHA (@CCPHA) June 4, 2014
Hu: SSBs predict weight gain in kids. 1 soda daily associated with 50% higher weight gain in kids. #SodaSummit14 — Nancy F Huehnergarth (@nyshepa) June 4, 2014
10% of U.S. adults get a QUARTER of their calories from added sugars. #SodaSummit14— CSPI (@CSPI) June 4, 2014
If you want a thousand more reasons not to drink soda, you'll find them over the next few days by following along on twitter.
Of course, I'm sure the beverage industry will also be listening in. They've got a lot at stake if Americans begin to really think about how detrimental our current level of sugary beverage consumption really is. To that end, I had the pleasure of producing this short animation for the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity: