Soda, Pop, Whatever: Kids Addicted to Coke

For over 100 years the Coca Cola company has been telling us that Coke is “delicious,” “wholesome,” “the real thing,” “the pause that refreshes,” and what we should “buy the world.” Now, it appears that our children won’t give it up.

But, the sad fact is that regular consumption of sugary drinks has been shown to significantly increase risk of  diabetes, obesity, heart disease and stroke. In addition, some of these drinks are also laced with caffeine, a legal drug that is known to cause anxiety and sleep problems and has been shown to be addictive in the majority of adolescents. According to several studies, referenced in the above-linked paper, caffeine is also suspected of being associated with risk-taking behavior and impaired brain development.

The upshot is that America is feeding its young a non-nutritional substance that leads to obesity, diabetes, and possible brain damage. Perhaps we could suggest the 2012 slogan include some of that!