Of Sodas and Government

I read an article in the Herald Journal from this last Saturday that got me thinking about the government and the influence it has in my life. The title of the article was "Studies firmly tie sugary drinks to obesity." Some may be wondering how on earth these two topics are even related. I will elaborate.

The article begins:

New research powerfully strengthens the case against soda and other sugary drinks as culprits of the obesity epidemic.

A huge, decades-long study involving more than 33,000 Americans has yielded the first clear proof that drinking sugary beverages interacts with genes that affect weight, amplifying a person's risk of obesity beyond what it would be from heredity alone.

This means that such drinks are especially harmful to people with genes that predispose them to weight gain. And most of us have at least some of these genes.

My first reaction to the article was irritation and frustration. This stems from the fact that I know that Michelle Obama has made it her own personal crusade to take on childhood obesity. This is noble and good. That idea in and of itself is not something that I will sneer at. My problem comes from the way that Mrs. Obama and other government officials seem to be going about dealing with obesity in the nation in general. The government, in many different instances, is now reaching into the affairs and lives of people and telling us what we can and cannot do in areas that I think they have no business regulating and touching. For example, in New York, there are now restrictions on the sizes of sodas that one can purchase in restaurants, at theaters, and stadiums. The article that I read went on:

[The studies add] weight to the push for taxes, portion limits like the one just adopted in New York City, and other policies to curb the consumption of soda, juice drinks and sports beverages sweetened with sugar.

Is this really the only answer to this problem? More regulations? I submit that this is not the only answer. To me, the idea of more regulation on what we eat is insulting. It seems to me, that many of our leaders seem to think that the American people are too stupid or foolish to be able to change or govern themselves. So, they step in and try to force us, through laws and regulations, to do the things that they think are best for us. While they mean well, I am sorry, but, BUTT OUT! I don't need to be regulated on my soda consumption. As it is, it is a treat for myself. I don't drink soda on a regular basis. I know a number of individuals who need their Coke or Pepsi to get themselves going every day. For me, it is a treat that I enjoy on occasion or when I feel like it. But, I am also capable of telling myself no. If I did have a weight problem (and my wife will be the first to tell you that I don't), I would stop buying sodas and other things that would be contributing to said problem. I know that there are many people who are not able to do so, but there are also many of us who are capable of and do practice self-restraint. I do not feel that it is fair to inconvenience us because some people never learned to tell themselves no.

I also have a few questions to ask the researchers and the writer of this article. They claim that they have had proof that sugary drinks "[amplify] a person's risk of obesity." How much does a person have to be drinking to get this kind of amplification? How many of these drinks were their test subjects drinking? Also, this article and others often say that the obesity rate has constantly been on the rise since [insert year]. While I won't debate the fact that this is more than likely true, I would like to point out that the measurements or requirements for obesity have changed over the years. A report from 1997, for example, would not include certain people that today would be classified as obese. Now, I do not know all of the exact specifics regarding this point, but I do wonder, what would be the obesity rate if it were calculated with the same standards as these other reports that people say that we have more than doubled.

Oh, and the supposed light at the end of the tunnel that the article tries to give me?

Soda lovers do get some good news: Sugar-free drinks did not raise the risk of obesity in these studies.

Gag! I don't care how many people claim it, I don't care how many commercials  try to convince me of this, artificial sweeteners give diet drinks the most atrocious and disgusting aftertaste that enjoying my soda is for all intents and purposes impossible.

I think that the best way to sum this up is a slight modification of a quote that I am fond of:

"...Teach [me] correct principles and [I will] govern [myself]."