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Family Physicians Group Announces a New Partner: Coke?

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"New Coke Mini: Now with 36% less death!" ~FUNNY ARTICLE~ "We here at the Coca-Cola Company feel your pain. Or rather, we don't, actually, but we like to say we do in marketing copy, because it makes us sound beneficent and honest, like a good corporate citizen, when in fact we're all about figuring out sinister ways to keep you wildly addicted to as many of our products for as long as humanly possible -- which, if you drink enough of them, won't be that long at all."

John Graham of CA 7:26PM October 28, 2009

It was only a matter of time before the AAFP jumped in bed with big business with big pockets. It's been fine in the pharmaceutical industry for a couple of decades so why not a professional organization representing physicians supposedly acting as fiduciaries' for their patients' health. I think most family physicians missed this anouncement. What a slippery slope the AAFP is inching down. I'll be looking for the diet Coke ads in my next AAFP Journal.

dw of CA 10:12AM October 23, 2009

Let's see if the company maintains their funding if AAFP comes right out and says stop drinking cola and "sports drinks" and only drink fruit juice in moderation. It's already been sad to see dieticians who perpetuate the view that HFCS is no different than sugar: I love it when one writes "Being a consultant does not change the facts about this ingredient." Or acts as a spokesperson for well-known food and beverage comapnies that makes and promotes unhealthy choices.
Let's hope AAFP can provide informed advice. And a final thought someone should tell their President-elect Lori Heim that it is not just the energy in nondiet colas that's a problem - it is also the sweetness in diet sodas that causes metabolic disruption and overeating. And helps habituate us to sweet foods, and mislead into thinking that for example low-fat (but very sweet) dairy prodcuts are healthy. I wonder if the AAFP sponsor will consider making some healthy drinks other than purified tap water with added minerals? And no, fruit juice isn't a particularly healthy choice if you drink more than a few ounces of it.

Dr Mike 6:41PM October 20, 2009

This is way over-hyped. Pharmaceutical support, which now seems acceptable, is much more a conflict of interest than Coke.

Ron Leiker of OH 11:31AM October 09, 2009

Make no mistake in reading Robyn's comment that corn syrup is OK. She is saying that it is equal to sugar regarding obesity. Meaning: Still not a good thing.

John Graham of NY 10:58PM October 07, 2009

Robyn, your comment and your findings in effect say that corn syrup is equal to sugar in it's effects towards causing obesity.
Okay, assuming that MAY be true, then the next step is this:
We need to now seriously question the place of sugar in the human diet.
(Common table sugar processed from sugar cane AND sugar beet AND High Fructose Corn Syrup)
These sugars are an ADDED ingredient in MOST foods.
Why does peanut butter need sugar???
Why does ketchup need sugar???
Why does fruit juice need sugar???
...and many, many more!
Why do LOTS of food items have unnecessary added sugar?
What is WRONG with these companies who pour sugar into ALMOST EVERYTHING !
WHAT ARE THEY THINKING ?!
Now if Coca-Cola will bring the sugar question up LOUD AND CLEAR, then maybe this partnership with American Academy of Family Physicians will be making a very primary step.
Coca-Cola and American Academy of Family Physicians would still need to be seriously critiqued every step of the way.

John Graham of NY 10:45PM October 07, 2009

Ok, so it might not be linked to obesity....what about the liver damage it's been linked to? There are more than several studies available that confirm that.

Brad Gross of IL 6:49PM October 07, 2009

making a deal with the biggest purveyor of fat people is no joke. The alliance might need the money in these troubled times, but the hypocrisy does not go unnoticed.

abel Rodriguez of FL 3:32PM October 07, 2009

AAFP leadership should be questioned on this. It seems like they lack the skills necessary to broker a beneficial alliance to benefit both AAFP member and health care consumers. AAFP leadership has made many questionable decisions in the past few years and it's time for a new direction.

J Smith of IL 11:38PM October 06, 2009

I have been a member of the American Dietetic Association for 35 years and do not have any reservations about our corporate partnerships. The funds directly influence how many people are able to receive the services of registered dietitians, not what we say and do. Some of us even work for these companies because they need our expertise, too. In my role as a consultant to the food and beverage industry I have been involved in correcting the misinformation being circulated about high fructose corn syrup. Being a consultant does not change the facts about this ingredient. The International Life Sciences Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture held a joint workshop on the health impact of high fructose corn syrup, bringing together scientific leaders from varying backgrounds, including former critics of the sweetener. The participants found little evidence that high fructose corn syrup and sugar (or sucrose) have differing effects on satiety, overall energy balance, metabolic hormones or biochemical metabolites such as triglycerides and uric acid – all suggesting no unique casual role for high fructose corn syrup in obesity.

Robyn Flipse, MS, RD of NJ 9:08PM October 06, 2009