Soda Tax Weighed to Pay for Health Care

[mcgonser]

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners

http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/page6.htm

[Exterminator]

Care to tell us about those health problems caused by artificial sweeteners?

Aspartame = alzheimers!   

[Bo D]

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners

http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/page6.htm

Quotes from the first link ....

"Is there an association between artificial sweeteners and cancer?
these sweeteners and other approved sweeteners have not provided clear evidence of an association between artificial sweeteners and cancer in people."


"Saccharin"
"Human epidemiology studies (studies of patterns, causes, and control of diseases in groups of people) have shown no consistent evidence that saccharin is associated with bladder cancer incidence."

"Aspartame"
"These data do not establish a clear link between the consumption of aspartame and the development of brain tumors."
"Increasing consumption of aspartame-containing beverages was not associated with the development of lymphoma, leukemia, or brain cancer"

"Acesulfame potassium, Sucralose, and Neotame"
"The results of these studies showed no evidence that these sweeteners cause cancer or pose any other threat to human health. "

"Cyclamate
scientists concluded that cyclamate was not a carcinogen or a co-carcinogen"

[Exterminator]

Yeah but what about that nasty aftertaste?

[Bo D]

Yeah but what about that nasty aftertaste?

Smoking a joint helps.

[Exterminator]

Smoking a joint helps.

Well, yeah!

[me]

Care to tell us about those health problems caused by artificial sweeteners?

I have a daughter that gets severe migraines from them and it also caused her to swell up, retain water, and cause joint pain.  She has to watch what toothpaste she buys, can no longer chew gum because almost all gum has it as an ingredient, has to be careful what canned fruit she gets and so on because of artificial sweetener.  A friend of ours has only used artificial sweetener for years, his wife even used it to cook, and guess what, he is now a diabetic....duh....guess that didn't help him.  Another friend of ours has a child with a behavioral problem which the doctors finally traced back to artificial sweeteners...guess what....he's on medicaid....didn't help there either....Just think if he had been having sugar there wouldn't be any medical bills for trying to find out what his behavioral problem was because he wouldn't have had one.  Artificial sweetener is NOT a path to better health or less obese people.  That is a lame excuse to tax sugared products.

[Bo D]

I have a daughter that gets severe migraines from them and it also caused her to swell up, retain water, and cause joint pain.  She has to watch what toothpaste she buys, can no longer chew gum because almost all gum has it as an ingredient, has to be careful what canned fruit she gets and so on because of artificial sweetener.  A friend of ours has only used artificial sweetener for years, his wife even used it to cook, and guess what, he is now a diabetic....duh....guess that didn't help him.  Another friend of ours has a child with a behavioral problem which the doctors finally traced back to artificial sweeteners...guess what....he's on medicaid....didn't help there either....Just think if he had been having sugar there wouldn't be any medical bills for trying to find out what his behavioral problem was because he wouldn't have had one.  Artificial sweetener is NOT a path to better health or less obese people.  That is a lame excuse to tax sugared products.

I was hoping for more than anecdotal evidence.

[Bo D]

A friend of ours has only used artificial sweetener for years, his wife even used it to cook, and guess what, he is now a diabetic....duh....guess that didn't help him. 

Uhhhhh ... diabetes is not caused by sugar.

"Too many calories contribute to excess weight, and excess weight can lead to type 2 diabetes (which accounts for approximately 90 percent of diabetes cases), says Ann Albright, the American Diabetes Association's president of health care and education."

Perhaps your friend forgot to also cut back on the KFC and McDonalds?

[me]

Or perhaps he wasn't overweight to begin with and was predisposed to being a diabetic and therefore drinking and eating sugared products would have been of no consequence.  Like I said it is just a lame excuse to tax sugared products.  Think about what you just said,

Uhhhhh ... diabetes is not caused by sugar.

"Too many calories contribute to excess weight, and excess weight can lead to type 2 diabetes (which accounts for approximately 90 percent of diabetes cases), says Ann Albright, the American Diabetes Association's president of health care and education."

Perhaps your friend forgot to also cut back on the KFC and McDonalds?

If you overindulge in anything it will cause you to gain weight, even health foods.  There will always be overweight people no matter what.  Guess they need to start taxing those video games because they are contributing to obesity too, probably more than the sugared drinks or fast foods.

[Bo D]

Or perhaps he wasn't overweight to begin with and was predisposed to being a diabetic and therefore drinking and eating sugared products would have been of no consequence.  Like I said it is just a lame excuse to tax sugared products.  Think about what you just said, If you overindulge in anything it will cause you to gain weight, even health foods.  There will always be overweight people no matter what.  Guess they need to start taxing those video games because they are contributing to obesity too, probably more than the sugared drinks or fast foods.

A journey of 1,000 miles starts with but one step.

[Gryphon]

"If you overindulge in anything it will cause you to gain weight"

thats not true.
you can gorge yourself on catabolic foods and in theory, lose weight.

[me]

A journey of 1,000 miles starts with but one step.

Yep, what are they going to tax next....

[Bo D]

Yep, what are they going to tax next....

Well ... we could start with taxing ignorance. That would be sure to balance the budget in a hurry!   

[Exterminator]

I was hoping for more than anecdotal evidence.

Aren't you the eternal oiptimist!