Losing the War on Obesity

There’s little doubt that obesity is bad for your health, and that it is an environmental health problem. And, the news just came out the other day that we as a nation are steadily becoming fatter (under the fatuous title that we need a national strategy to combat obesity). As if on cue, someone is coming out with preliminary research findings that sugary drinks made with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contain reactive carbonyls, which may have a role in the progression of diabetes as well as other diseases.

After reading this though, I can see what’s coming next:

Adding a beneficial antioxidant compound found in tea called "epigallocatechin gallate," or EGCG, to drinks that contain HFCS appears to lower reactive carbonyl levels, Ho said. That could mean that drinking beverages that contain both tea extracts and HFCS may not be as harmful as drinking HCFS-sweetened sodas, he said. However, further research is needed to prove that.

Set your watches, folks, and let’s see how long it takes before “healthy” sweetened beverages spiked with green tea extract start showing up on the shelves. Some strategy.