Study Finds Soda Tax Would Help Curb Obesity

As schools around the country are pulling sugary sodas from their vending machines, some cities and states are taking it a step further by considering a tax on these high-calorie drinks.

Would raising the price of sugary drinks have an impact on the fight against obesity? Yes, says a new study that followed 5,000 young soda drinkers over a 20-year period. The findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicines.

The study found that a $1 increase in the cost of a two-liter bottle of soda translated to 124 fewer calories per day, or a loss of 2.34 pounds in body weight per year.

In fact, raising the cost of sodas, the article says, would have a greater effect than making sugary foods more expensive: "When a child drinks a sugary beverage, particularly without food, blood sugar rapidly rises and then crashes...apparently triggering hunger that can lead to overeating. And liquids, unlike solids -- even solid sugar -- don't lead to satiety.... Eating dessert before dinner will dull your appetite, but drinking soda will not."

Check out HealthTeacher's lesson plans on nutrition.

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