May 11, 2004
Hey CSPI - Soda Still Doesn't Cause Obesity
Two weeks ago, the Center for Consumer Freedom reported on the Center for Science in the Public Interest's (CSPI's) flawed attempt to show that soda is somehow linked to childhood obesity -- using a single study from fat-tax advocate David Ludwig. Back from the drawing board, CSPI apparently thinks that two entirely inconclusive studies are better than one.
Now, in its latest attack on soda and school vending machines, CSPI has dredged up a single additional study to help its soda-causes-obesity case. But that study's authors readily admit: "Unfortunately, the sample size was too small to provide sufficient power for the observed difference in weight gain to be statistically significant." That's because their study is based on a meager sample of 21 children. The authors also note that "Similar trends in weight gain, just stronger, was [sic] observed with excessive consumption of fruit juice." In fact, the study found that children who drank more than 12 ounces of fruit juice (a CSPI-approved beverage) each day gained three times as much weight as kids who consumed a similar amount of soda (a beverage CSPI hates).
Recent studies of real merit have found no link between soda consumption and obesity in children.
