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Benjamin Cervantes
Abstract
The purpose of this report is to breakdown on the hard question that no one seems to ask when it
comes to the subject of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Sugar consumption is high in the
United States and a problem for the future health of Americans. This report will help bring to
Questions asked will be based mainly around the logic, reasoning, psychology and physiology of
the human body, and marketing of the drinks being consumed. The report will remain objective;
bringing only facts and ways to connect said facts to help make conclusions and hopefully
The following report will intend to determine the best tactics and strategies as to how to fight this
sugar battle more effectively as a nation, whether its in a food court or at home, at a concession
It is no secret that the United States has a significant problem when it comes to sugar. Sugar is
found in most processed foods, some that one would think dont need sugar. Regardless, sugar
consumption is high and a big source of sugar in Americas diet is in the drinks alone. Sugar
sweetened beverages have been around for a while but only recently have the effects of the
deathly amounts of sugar contained within, really begun to show their true colors. Sodas, juices,
other sweetened drinks, and even some flavored waters are all packed with sugar. One must ask
several questions regarding this epidemic and this literature review might help to narrow down
2. Why are some beverages chosen over other options? Are these reasons legitimate?
3. Why is it that knowing the facts about the dangerous amount of sugar being consumed isnt
4. What could be the best strategy to spark a radical change in the beverage choices of
America?
By being able to answer these questions and understanding the factors influencing the sugar
consumption problem in the US and the reasons why people choose the beverages they choose,
only then will we be able to formulate more effective tactics as to how to spark a radical change
Different sources can agree that the amount of sugar consumption is no small problem in this
nation, but when it comes to answering the question on whether the problem is getting worse or
not, sources differ in their claims. In the documentary Fed Up, it is stated that the main source
of the sugar were consuming is in the drinks were pouring down our throats. (Soechtig, 2014).
These sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are packed with sugar, lacking nutrients, and are being
consumed at a rate that would surprise most people. All this information and with many sources
agreeing upon the same conclusion about where we get our sugar from, the data and statistics can
look quite depressing. However, the question being answered in this section of the paper is
whether the United States has been tackling this problem effectively, or whether were fighting a
losing battle. This is where different sources waver in their conclusions and opening statements.
A 12 year study was done to describe the trends in SSB consumption in youth and adults in the
United States. They concluded that a decrease was found from 1999-2000 alone. Towards the
end of the study, they concluded a more substantial decrease from 2009-2010. Decreases in SSB
consumption, both in the home and away from home and also with both meals and snacks,
occurred over the 12-y study duration. (Kit et al., 2013). In apparent disagreement, one source
claims that U.S. adult consumption of added sugars increased by more than 30% over three
decades. (Powell et el., 2014). Although the case study never mentions the term SSB once, one
must not deny that SSBs are the main source of added sugar in ones diet. In fact, the study says
that [Added sugars] are found in obviously sweetsoft drinks, sports drinks and other sweets.
(Powell et el., 2014). Alina Health Systems also claims on their website through an infographic
that sugary drinks are the #1 source of added sugar in diets. (2015). If one can use this
underlying fact to logically cross reference this study, one must conclude that an increase of SSB
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION 5
consumption occurred and peaked at the year of 2004. It claims that a 30% increase occurred
from 1977-2010, but it fails to say that there was a decrease after 2009. While the overall trend
got bigger, there is an apparent peak of consumption in the data, and that must be taken into
account, confirming what other sources say about fiscal year 2009-2010.
asked the public multiple questions about the behaviors, habits, and reasoning behind ones
beverage choices to help answer the research questions in this paper more efficiently. It was
posted on social media and sent as a direct message to RWS 1301 classmates asking if they
could partake in the study. When asked if one had increased, decreased, or kept the same the
amount of sugary drinks they consume since last year, most people reported that theyve
decreased their consumption. Only 13% say that their consumption of sugary drinks has
increased. Although the results of the Sweetened Beverages survey are limited, they do provide a
legitimate reason as to believe that the problem actually is shrinking. One must realize however
that even though the problem shrunk a few years ago and seems to be shrinking today, people are
still finding a way to get their sugar fix. A research article that studied the impact of masked
replacement of sugar free and sugar sweetened beverages on body weight increases in children
points that, It appears that the leaner children compensated more the disappearance of sugar
from their drinks by increased consumption more of other foods. (Katan et al., 2016). Other
studies, data, or research were relatively hard to find regarding any years beyond 2010. All of
these along with Figure 1 found on page 8 can undoubtedly explain that our efforts to improve
have not been in vain, but the severity of SSB consumption is still at large. With SSBs being
readily available pretty much anywhere, the marketing and advertisement of these drinks as
relentless as they are, and the portion sizes of these drinks consistently growing over the years,
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION 6
the severity of the problem is definitely not decreasing. We will analyze what factors influence
Why are some beverage choices chosen more often than others? What are the factors
Asking the hard questions could reveal the reasons behind peoples beverage choices. In the
Sweetened Beverages survey, questions were asked that could point us in the right direction.
When people were asked what factors influenced them to choose a SSB over water, the top
answer, at 77%, was the taste. This of course was expected. Sugar tastes good!
When we eat food, the simple sugar glucose is absorbedand distributed to all cells of
the body. Glucose is particularly important to the brain as it provides a major source of
fuelBizarrely, scientists have found even just the taste of sugar can give our brains a
boost. Tests have shown that participants who swill water sweetened by sugar around
their mouths perform better on mental tasks than when they gargle artificially sweetened
water. (2013).
Refined sugar is simply the simplest form of simple sugars. Since our brain consumes about 40%
of all energy we put into our bodies, the brain will take whatever it can get its hands on,
especially if its ready to be used immediately. If the brain gets used to this readily available
amount of glucose constantly in the blood stream, then the tests mentioned above make perfect
sense. The taste buds send signals to the brain that there is sugar in already in the mouth, which
then prepares your brain for a sugar rush and dopamine is released. This gives an overstimulation
in the reward centers of the brain, further rewiring the brain to crave/need more in order to
become stimulated the next time. This is the exact same way one gets addicted to cocaine. In fact
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION 7
sugar is 8x more addictive than cocaine. The only difference between sugar and other addictive
substances like nicotine, cocaine, and amphetamines is that sugar doesnt have extremely
The second most chosen answer was, The drink goes with the meal Im eating at the time. This
is a misconception formed by the habits of society. Mostly based on social pressure and habit,
people do associate different drinks, whether SSB or not, to different meals. Orange juice is
associated with breakfast just like soda is usually associated with a burger and fries. This doesnt
have to be the case however. Sugar has little to no nutritional value and since 2 wrongs dont
make a right, it makes absolutely no sense to pair up an already unhealthy fast food meal with
one of the most unhealthy and nutritionally dry drinks one can have, soda.
The next top 2 reasons, both at 20% respectively, were the price and availability of the drink.
These factors line up perfectly. Over the years, the portion sizes of bottled soft drinks have
increased substantially. With the original 1920 Coca-Cola bottle being a mere 6.5 oz., the 12 oz.
cans werent introduced until 1960, soon after in 1990 came the first 20 oz. bottles followed by
Why is it that people who do know how much sugar theyre consuming, arent willing to
change?
In the same survey conducted in March 2017, the most reported reason as to why people have
changed their drinking habits or would change their drinking habits is due to a health risk in
them. This seems completely illogical. Why would someone, while fully aware of the contents of
their drink and the consequences of consuming it, wait until they are at risk of getting a chronic
disease to finally consider changing their drink choices. Thats like waiting until youve had a
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION 8
car accident to then choose to put a seat belt on for the rest of your life. The logic is on par with a
cocaine addict saying theyll quit once they are on the verge of death. However, some factors
that influence SSB consumption seem to be out of control of the consumer. For example, Being
an adolescent or male [or both], having a caregiver(s) with a high school degree or less, ordering
a combination meal, and eating a meal in the [source] restaurant are also all associated with
ordering a SSB. (Cantor et al., 2016). Another reason people said they would like to change but
couldnt is because, as one stated, you just cant escape it. This is the elephant in the room.
With SSBs being found pretty much anywhere except in water fountains, sometimes the excuse,
this was the only option I had qualifies as valid. The only logical way to battle this relentless
amount of marketing and advertising of beverage companies is to do the exact same thing in
bringing awareness about the dangers of these drinks, right? This will be looked at in the next
section.
desire to change?
Figure 1
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION 9
Natural orange juice, milk, and water have substantially more nutritional value than a soda,
whether it comes from Coca-Cola or not. Figure 1 above gives valuable information in terms of a
tried and succeeding tactic to battle SSB consumption. Positive results like lower calorie
purchases, lower chances of buying an SSB, and lower chances of buying a drink bigger than 16
oz. are all proof that just posting signs about caloric and necessary exercise information is
effective. Any cause bringing more awareness is always a good tactic. People generally dont
like to talk about this subject because everyone is doing it. Its hard to get 99% of the general
public to talk about and be open about something that nearly everybody participates in doing. In
2015, Berkeley, California was the first city to implement a SSB tax of $0.01/oz. Comparison
cities like Oakland and San Francisco were also taxes in order to cross reference the data found
in Berkeley to see the true effects of a soda tax. Approximately a year later at the end of the
study, SSB consumption decreased 21% in Berkeley, but increased 5% in the comparison cities.
On the flipside, another positive statistic was recorded in the study. Not only did the tax decrease
soda consumption, but it also increased water consumption. In fact, it increased 63 more percent
in Berkeley than in Oakland and San Francisco combined. (Falbe et al., 2016). Social Media is a
limitless tool and has expanded exponentially over the past decade and even few years.
Challenges like the condom challenge, backpack challenge, mannequin challenge, try not to
laugh challenge, an even the healthy, push-up challenge went viral on the internet, so it doesnt
seem too far-fetched to try and turn giving up soda/SSBs in some crazy fashion into a viral
internet challenge. One of the heavily argued topics in Fed Up was that the big food and drink
companies testify in court in the same lying fashion that the big tobacco companies did back in
the 1960s. They also use the same tactics that the big tobacco companies used, like sponsorships,
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION 10
spokespersons, association with athletes and qualified personnel like doctors, as well as
relentless advertising.
Just imagine if SSB nutrition labels had a warning like tobacco products are required to have. It
would read somewhere along the lines of, WARNING: this product contains high amounts of
sugar. Read carefully the health effects and risks before consuming. How much would that
change the publics view on SSBs, sugar, and more importantly, the big food and drink
companies?
Conclusion
This report has analyzed important question regarding SSB consumption. The problem was
addressed and data was analyzed regarding the growth or shrinkage of said problem. Reasons
behind peoples choices were analyzed along with uncontrollable factors and factors invisible to
the naked eye, inside the human mind and body composition. With this knowledge shown, the
logic and will of the human being was tested and analyzed through tests that determined what led
to choices staying the same with some Americans. Lastly, tactics and strategies were discussed in
order to better form ways to battle the epidemic sweeping the nation and sitting right under our
noses, more often than not, in our cups. Hopefully this knowledge base can be drawn from in
order to understand the issue more completely or form an opinion/conclusion as a later time.
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION 11
References
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information-reduces-sugary-drink-purchases-among-teens/
Cantor, J., Breck, A., & Elbel, B. (2016). Correlates of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Purchased for
doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303427
Falbe, T., Thompson, H. R., Becker, C. M., Rojas, N., McCullock, C. E., & Madsen, K. A.
Doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303362.
Gunnars, K., BSc. (2016, September 12). How Sugar Hijacks Your Brain And Makes You
makes-you-addicted/
Katan, M. B., Ruyter, J. C., Kuijper, L. D., Chow, C. C., Hall, K. D., & Olthof, M. R. (2016, July
Body Weight Increases with Initial BMI: Secondary Analysis of Data from an 18 Month
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0159771
Kit, B. K., Fakhouri, T. H., Park, S., Nielsen, S. J., & Ogden, C. L. (2013, July). Trends in sugar-
sweetened beverage consumption among youth and adults in the United States: 1999-
Powell, E., Smith, L., Popkin, B., & Turner, M. (2014, November 3). U.S. Adult Consumption of
Added Sugars Increased by More Than 30% Over Three Decades. Retrieved April 4,
Study: Sugar is as addictive as cocaine! (2015, February 25). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from
http://abc13.com/health/study-sugar-is-as-addictive-as-cocaine/533979/
Why is sugar so addictive? (2013, March 22). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/21835302