Soda Tax Deserves to Fizzle

Tax on soda will help state coffers, rising obesity

(NEWSER) - Two things in France keep getting bigger: the deficit and the nation's waistline . To fight both simultaneously, a new "cola tax" will go into effect on New Year's Day, reports Der Spiegel . The tax will be a little more than a penny per can on Coke and other soft drinks, and industry insiders warn the move could eventually result in a 35% increase in prices. The government expects the tax to bring in $156 million in extra revenue. Denmark and Hungary have launched similar "fat taxes" on a wider range of products. More»

Princeton researchers say rat study answers contentious question

(NEWSER) - It may not end the debate, but researchers say they have definitively proven that high-fructose corn syrup is many times more likely to contribute to obesity than sugar. The Princeton team gave one group of rats water spiked with sugar, and another water with corn syrup. Though the sugar water was twice as concentrated as the corn syrup drink, those sucking down the latter gained far more weight. More»

Obesity 'accounts for nearly a tenth' of health-care spending

(NEWSER) - There’s an “elephant in the room” when it comes to health care reform: American health care costs a bundle in large part because we’re so fat, writes Michael Pollan for the New York Times. President Obama has touched on the issue, but the country hasn’t, and that’s because the food industry is “even more powerful” than health insurers. More»

Lawmakers fear giving US 'bad news'—especially while munching Doritos

(NEWSER) - Congress is “in denial” on one key health issue: obesity, writes Lisa Lerer for Politico. Obesity-related illnesses reportedly cost $147 billion, or 10% of medical spending, last year—and lawmakers say they’re focused on cost-cutting. But, experts say, “no one wants to tell Americans the bad news.” Notes one professor: “We haven’t come to grips with whether it is their own fault or a combination of factors.” More»

(NEWSER) - The medical cost of obesity has almost doubled over the last decade to $147 billion annually, a new study finds. Treating obesity-related disorders now accounts for almost 10% of the total spending on health care, reports Bloomberg. Each obese person costs the government or insurers an average of $1,429—or 42%—more each year than people of normal weight. More»