Valley soda consumption high, research finds

Residents drink more, and weigh more, than other Californians.

Published online on Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2009

Central San Joaquin Valley residents drink more soda -- and also are fatter -- than other Californians, according to new research.

The region ranks at the top in both trends, a study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found. More than a third of Valley adults drink soda daily, and up to two-thirds are obese.

"The Valley is the soda consumption capital of California," said researcher Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which produced the study in conjunction with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. "It's frightening."

The state's sugar tooth is expensive for all taxpayers: Californians pay $41 billion a year in obesity-related health-care costs and lost productivity, he said.

Chronic health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure will continue to rise unless consumer habits and public policies address the state's obesity problem, experts said.

Public health officials believe Valley residents are more likely to turn to sodas than other Californians because the region has many low-income communities with unhealthy drinking water, too many fast-food restaurants and too few grocery stores. Officials also say that lower-income residents are less likely to be educated about healthy eating habits.

"Some of these communities don't have environments that support healthy living," said Juan Ibarra, who is with the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program.

Goldstein said he hopes one of the lessons learned from the study is that clean, free water -- through household taps and in public drinking fountains -- should be available for all Californians.

People shouldn't have to buy bottled water out of vending machines, he said.

Curbing the state's obesity epidemic will require targeting "the biggest culprits," which include sugar-sweetened sodas, Goldstein said.

But an industry official said sugary sodas should not be the scapegoat. In a news release, Maureen L. Storey, senior vice president of science policy for the American Beverage Association, said the survey does not establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship between soda consumption and obesity.

Most scientific studies show "that soft drinks do not uniquely contribute to obesity or any other chronic disease," she said.

Educating consumers about balancing calories from foods and beverages with calories expended through exercise should be the goal of addressing obesity, "not demonizing any one particular food," Storey said.

The study researchers say, however, that the link between sugary sodas and overweight Californians is indisputable.

The percentage of adults in Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties who drink one or more sugar-sweetened sodas daily was 35% or more, compared with the statewide average of 24%, the study said. The study used data collected from more than 40,000 people in the 2005 California Health Interview Survey through UCLA's research center, officials said.

Kings County led the state with 39%. All four counties ranked among the state's top six regions for soda consumption.

The percentage of obese or overweight adults in three of the counties -- Tulare, 66%, and Kings and Madera, both at 64% -- rank in the state's top 12. Fresno County, with 58%, is 22nd.

The study found that adults who drink one or more sugary sodas daily are 27% more likely to become overweight or obese than those who do not, Goldstein said. Diet sodas were not included in the study.