FATTENING

New Study Proves Soda Obesity Link

Finds drink causes weight gain regardless of other factors.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg must love this new study. The mayor has recently banned sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces, and now, a new study led by the Harvard School of Public Health reveals that drinking soda and sugary drinks in itself increases an individual’s risk of obesity—regardless of a consumer’s other habits that could contribute to weight gain. The decades-long study of more than 33,000 Americans also had some good news for diet soda drinkers: sugar-free sodas don’t seem raise the risk of obesity. The intuitive study also found that genetics—along with eating and exercise habits—can make a person more susceptible to becoming overweight. The Harvard study is the first to prove conclusively that reducing soda consumption would lower weight or body fat.