From CBS.com and many other sources.
“In reports to be published in science journals this week, two groups of researchers hope to add evidence to the theory that soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks don’t just go hand-in-hand with obesity, but actually cause it. Not that these drinks are the only cause – genetics, exercise and other factors are involved – but that they are one cause, perhaps the leading cause.
A small point? In reality, proving this would be a scientific leap that could help make the case for higher taxes on soda, restrictions on how and where it is sold – maybe even a surgeon general’s warning on labels.
“We’ve done it with cigarettes,” said one scientist advocating this, Barry Popkin at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
“There are many different lines of evidence, just like smoking,” said Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard pediatrician who wants a “fat tax” on fast food and drinks.”