The NY Times article says food scientists and the media complain the obesity problem and the rise in Type-2 diabetes result from overeating and sugary drinks - basically bad eating habits - but Coca Cola's scientists claim the research and evidence behind the claims just isn't there - and the real problem lies with poor exercise habits.
Health experts say the message is misleading, suggesting exercise can offset bad diet when exercise is only one part of the equation. ..but - part of the problem and concern from Coke has been a drop in sales with an approximate 25% drop in the use of their product and concern for this global corporation's reduction in profits. ..and there is the issue and trend of corporations hiring political organizations posing as non-profits that actually represent the right to exploit - spreading disinformation supporting political rhetoric - or unionizing, such as the ALEC organization that actually includes Congressmen in their ranks to release canned legislation that benefits business. The article doesn't discuss other benefits of reducing the 'use' of carbonated beverages: Companies like Coke - as well as bottled water companies - have been using natural water resources free - for over a hundred years now - without paying for a resource essential to the 'public good,' and that is a growing concern with rising populations and the stress on world water supplies. As some sources point out, "It takes roughly 20 gallons of water to make a pint of beer, as much as 132 gallons of water to make a 2-liter bottle of soda, and about 500 gallons, including water used to grow, dye and process the cotton, to make a pair of Levi's stonewashed jeans." All corporations do need to take a look at their contribution to growing deterioration from the increasing assault on our habitat. Coca Cola has grown rich at the expense of the world's health and water supplies, and they've become accustomed to the privilege of being able to exist without adding actual value to society - now crying over the possibility that their reign is threatened or may even be coming to an end. ..and there is the discussion whether a corporation that doesn't contribute to the public good has an actual right to exist - merely because governments have sold them a license to incorporate - and large lobbies grease the palms of Congress and parliaments to continue that privilege. Because corporations exist, doesn't mean corporations have a right to exist - despite having 'bought' a license from a sympathetic (or corrupt) government. Employing people in itself is not adequate reason to justify production of commodities harmful to people and humanity. In such cases, we need to find alternative economies' but the issues are complicated by America's legal confusion with corporate person-hood and the acquired right to distort facts through an appeal to First-Amendment rights of free speech - thanks to a system usurped by America's business community, static wealth, and disproportional inequality's distortion of power. The bottom line is that citizens do have a right to be secure and safe from greed and exploitation.
Obesity is emerging as the top silent killer in the world, joining malnutrition, malaria, hypertension, diabetes, HIV/AIDS. It does not single out any ethnic or national group - and is a major problem among people in poverty - due mainly to bad diet.
..and most people don't realize it - until.. it's there.
It's so overlooked, because generally, doctor's are not trained to see it when it's staring them in the face or to look for it instead of at the symptoms, and many aren't trained to treat it. Some of the complications include pre-diabetic symptoms, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, immune-system disorders, liver disease.. All begin with obesity. A recent article in Huffington Post says that 1 out of 2 Americans currently have this "deadly disease" and 90% of them don't know it. Some of the best advice both to avoid obesity and treat it involve eating moderate portions; eating healthy (especially lots of vegetables) -- avoiding processed foods; handling excessive stress; and getting lots of exercise. |
AuthorColleen O'brien Archives
October 2020
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