Company Statements

A study published in the July 23, 2007 edition of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association reports that drinking more than one soft drink daily, whether regular or diet, may be associated with metabolic syndrome or increased risk factors for heart disease. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk factors including excess waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL "good" cholesterol) and high fasting glucose levels. The presence of three or more of the factors increases a person's risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA) statement on the study, "This study may raise some questions among consumers about health risks associated with drinking soft drinks. Since this is an observational study, it is important to note that the study does not show that soft drinks cause risk factors for heart disease. It does show that the people studied who drank soft drinks were more likely to develop risk factors for heart disease. However, it is possible that other factors could explain this relationship. Often people who drink soft drinks also eat and drink more calories, saturated fat and trans fat and less fiber and dairy products. Also, these people tend to be less physically active. This was true among the subjects in this study.'

"While the authors did account for these aforementioned diet and lifestyle factors in the analysis, it is possible that other lifestyle factors still account for the measured increase in risk factors leading to heart disease," according to the AHA. "As the authors note in the study, more research is needed to understand these associations before any recommendations can be made to the public."

According to a statement from The American Beverage Association, "The assertions being made could apply to any caloric product -- if you over consume any food or beverage with calories, there are health consequences. There is no scientific evidence to single out soft drinks as unique in this equation, and even this study doesn’t support such an assertion. Further, it is scientifically implausible to suggest that diet soft drinks -- a beverage that is 99 percent water -- cause weight gain or elevated blood pressure.

Please read the statement from the American Beverage Association in it's entirety »