A mere 20 years ago no one would have thought about letting a toddler have access to soda pop. Let alone REGULAR access. But, because the ingredients that make up the “Standard American Diet” are easily accessible to everyone- and because they are so cheap- we are now dealing with an epidemic of diabetes. Even among the young.

According to diabetes.org:

  • In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes.
  • Of the 29.1 million, 21.0 million were diagnosed, and 8.1 million were undiagnosed.
  • The percentage of Americans age 65 and older remains high, at 25.9%, or 11.8 million seniors (diagnosed and undiagnosed).
  • 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year.
  • In 2012, 86 million Americans age 20 and older had prediabetes; this is up from 79 million in 2010.
  • Diabetes remains the 7th leading cause of death in the United States in 2010, with 69,071 death certificates listing it as the underlying cause of death, and a total of 234,051 death certificates listing diabetes as an underlying or contributing cause of death.

Americans consume about 50 billion liters of soda per year which is equal to about 57 gallons, per person. That’s a lot of sugar but scarier still is that it’s high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In the United States HFCS is the number one source of calories so it’s safe to call it the primary cause of the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic.

Thanks to both advertising by the soda companies and the food deserts that most low-income families live in, the poor often end up spending what little they have on junk food and the consequences are devastating. And, as the middle class disappears, more families will live at the poverty level, continuing the cycle of disease.

While it may seem like wisdom to us to stay away from high-fructose corn syrup sodas, a large majority of the population is not properly educated on the implications of poor nutrition.

If you know someone who consumes soda, and any other foods laden with HFCS, on a regular basis please share this information with them. You may be saving their life.

Source: Collective Evolution