If you really like soda and really value your doctor’s opinion, this may be a harsh realization, unless you’re Mike Bloomberg.
More than half of physicians polled at the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine conference in San Diego support the idea of a soda tax, with “poor diet” ranked as the leading cause of chronic diseases among clinicians.
A total of 55 percent of 754 healthcare practitioners, of whom 78 percent are physicians, “believe a tax on sugar-laden beverages will reduce obesity on the U.S.,” according to the poll, conducted along with several others at AHIM’s recent conference in San Diego.
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Other results show that at 59 percent, a poor diet is the most common maladaptive human behavior due to stress. And respondents noted that the leading causes of chronic disease are “poor diet” at 41 percent, and “stress,” chosen by 40 percent of those polled.
While politicians and pundits may vociferously denounced or defend the idea of a soda tax — the city of Berkeley recently became the first to go ahead with such a tax, while San Francisco’s measure failed –– the attitude among physicians is pretty clear, at least from this poll.
“The US ranks number one in obesity and diabetes for the world. Obesity is solved with behavioral change and addressing the issue of environmental toxins, or what are now called ‘obesogens,'” said Mimi Guarneri, president of AIHM. “We cannot end this cycle with our current ‘ill to the pill’ mentality. While healthcare professionals can’t guarantee behavior change, taxing sugar-laden beverages will be a step toward reducing obesity within the population, and a step toward people taking responsibility for their health.”
