Coke Fighting Obesity?

Coca-Cola has become a major player in the arena of promoting healthy children. According to the New York Times article, "Coke Spends Lavishly on Pediatricians and Dietitians," the soft drink giant has given over $120 million in grants to medical, health and community organizations since 2010. [One grant recipient, the American Academy of Pediatricians has since severed its ties with Coke when members protested the relationship.] For its part, Coke has noted that the company is committed to "helping people understand how to live a healthy, active lifestyle."

The Times reported that this largesse is already paying dividends for Coca-Cola:

"Just last month, Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center announced the findings of a large Coke-funded study of 6,000 children from 12 countries that determined that the major lifestyle factors for childhood obesity around the world were a lack of exercise, not enough sleep, and too much television. Coke has given more than $7.5 million to the university research center or its foundation over the past five years, making L.S.U. the single largest recipient of Coke money since 2010.

"The university's press release was notable in that it did not mention the role of soft drinks in the obesity epidemic.  By comparison, in 2010, the surgeon general listed 'reducing consumption of sodas and juices with added sugars' as the first item on a list of 'healthy choices' needed to improve the health of the nation."

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