NYC Approves Super Size Soda Ban

New York City’s Board of Health voted  to approve the “soda ban” that limits the sale of large sugary drinks within the city, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Under the measure, people will not be able to buy sugar-sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces at fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, movie theaters and food carts.

“[Six] months from today, our city will be an even healthier place,” Bloomberg tweeted.

However, experts say it remains to be seen whether the city will actually be healthier. Critics have pointed out that people could just buy two 16-ounce drinks rather than a 32-ounce drink.

One recent study attempting to look at what effect the law might have showed that the new measure could reduce New Yorker’s average calorie consumption, but only if at least 40 percent of people make changes in their drink consumption.

The researchers, who analyzed the receipts of about 1,600 fast-food restaurant customers in East Coast cities, found that if all consumers who had been buying larger sizes switched to a single 16-ounce drink (and none bought two 16-ounce beverages), the average calorie intake would drop by 63 calories per meal.

However, if only 30 percent of consumers switched, no decrease in the average calories consumed per meal would occur, the researchers said. The magic number needed to see any effect was 40 percent — if that percentage of consumers switched to a single 16-ounce beverage, then overall calorie consumption would decrease by close to 10 calories, according to the study, which was published in July in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Bloomberg also tweeted, “Portion size drives consumption.” Here, studies do support the mayor’s point.

For instance, Simone French, associate director of the University of Minnesota Obesity Prevention Center, told MyHealthNewsDaily in an interview in May that when people are presented with large portions, they tend not to consume “just enough” to meet their bodies’ needs, and instead eat the entire portion as a single serving. Since the Coca-Cola Co. began selling its products, the bottles that are often consumed as a single serving have grown from 6.5 ounces to 20 ounces, she said.

“We need to have a cultural shift back to more modest, reasonable, appropriate portion sizes if we want to help reduce the obesity epidemic,” French said.

Mr. Divabetic talks to New Yorkers about the Super Size Soda Ban in Central Park

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Diva Warning: Cut Your Portions, Cut Your Risk

Divabetic: Health Headlines

New York  City Health Department recently launched a new hard-hitting ad campaign urging New Yorkers to be more aware of portion sizes - and how they have increased – when choosing what to eat or drink.

The quantity of food served in a “medium” or “large” order is significantly greater today than in previous years. In the last 50 years, for example, the serving sizes of sugary drinks quadrupled and french fries nearly tripled. With a few casual selections, a single meal could balloon to contain many more calories than the amount an adult needs for an entire day.

“The portion sizes that are marketed are often much more than humans need,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley “We are warning people about the risks of super-size portions so they can make more informed choices about what they eat. Consuming too many calories can lead to weight gain, which greatly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. If New Yorkers cut their portions, they can cut their risk of these health problems.”

In one of the new posters, available in English and Spanish, a man with type 2 diabetes and an amputated leg sits behind a graphic showing how soda portions have increased over time. “Cut your portions. Cut your risk,” the text reads below, providing New Yorkers with a clear strategy for preventing obesity and its health consequences.

The majority of adult New Yorkers (nearly 57%) and two out of every five New York City elementary school children remain overweight or obese and the health consequences are dire, ranging from hypertension to type 2 diabetes. Nearly 10% of New Yorkers have been told they have type 2 diabetes, which can lead to blindness, kidney failure and amputations.

In 2006, nearly 3,000 New Yorkers with diabetes were hospitalized for amputations. Obese children and adolescents also are more likely to become obese adults. Even while young, they are more likely to develop obesity-related conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.

Most adults only need to eat 2,000 calories per day, and children need even fewer. But with Americans eating out more often than they did 40 years ago, staying within these recommendations has become more difficult. A beverage at a fast food chain has increased fourfold since 1955, from 7 ounces to 32 ounces. During the same time, french fry portions have more than doubled, from 2.4 ounces to 5.4 ounces. As a result, recent studies show that one-third of New Yorkers eating at chain restaurants consume more than 1,000 calories at lunchtime alone.

New York City Issues Super Sized Warning

Divabetic: Health Headlines

News ads from New York City’s Health Department focus on a warning against the dangers of sodas and fast food take on portion size. The steady increase in sizes of soda cups and sleeves of French fries are set against backdrops of unhealthy people, including a man living with diabetes who is missing most of one leg.

The ads, which appear in the subway system, warn that obesity and diabetes have become more common as the average size of food servings has risen.

“Portions have grown. So has Type 2 diabetes, which can lead to amputations,” reads one headline. In the background sits a man in a wheelchair with a stump where his right shin should be.

“The portion sizes that are marketed are often much more than humans need,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, the city’s health commissioner. The commissioner’s staff says that it is not uncommon to find 32-ounce cups of soda now, a super-sized version of the typical 7-ounce portion in 1955.

But the American Beverage Association countered that the health department was oversimplifying the connection between serving sizes and obesity.

“Portion control is indeed an important piece of the solution to obesity,” said Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for the association. “But instead of utilizing scare tactics, the beverage industry is offering real solutions like smaller portioned containers and calorie labels that show the number of calories in the full container, right up front, to help people choose products and sizes that are right for them and their families.”