Coca-Cola has been funding a nonprofit that promotes research that claims exercise is more important than cutting calories, which some health experts argue is deflecting blame for the role sugary drinks have played in the obesity epidemic, according to a New York Times report published Sunday. The beverage giant donated $1.5 million last year to launch nonprofit Global Energy Balance Network and has provided $4 million to fund two of the group’s founding members since 2008. The group’s website is registered to Coke headquarters and the soft drink company is listed as the site’s administrator, the Times reports. James Hill, the group’s president and professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said Coke registered the site because the network’s members did not know how. The group contends there is “strong evidence” that weight control is more about “maintaining an active lifestyle” than poor eating habits, linking to two research papers, which both note Coke’s support.
