In order to ramp up the public health battle against obesity, a group of nutrition and economics experts are pushing for a tax of one cent on every of ounce of sodas and other sweetened beverages. In a health policy article that appeared in Thursday’s online issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the authors, who include faculty from the Schools of Public Health, state that a soda tax would generate tax revenue while discouraging people from consuming extra calories.

The article states the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been linked to risks for obesity, diabetes and heart disease; therefore, a compelling case can be made for the need for reduced consumption of these beverages.

The authors argue, "The science base linking the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages to the risk of chronic diseases is clear. Escalating health care costs and the rising burden of diseases related to poor diet create an urgent need for solutions, thus justifying government's right to recoup costs."

They further add, "The revenue generated from a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would be considerable and could be used to help support childhood nutrition programs, obesity-prevention programs, or health care for the uninsured or to help meet general revenue needs."

The authors caution that, as with any public health intervention, the exact effect of a tax cannot be known until it is implemented and studied; however, current research suggests that a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would have strong positive effects on reducing consumption.

Schools of Public Health faculty who authored the report include: Dr. Thomas Farley, professor in the departments of community health sciences and global and community health at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; Dr. Barry M. Popkin, Carla Smith Chamblee Distinguished Professor in the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health; and Dr. Walter Willett, chair of the department of nutrition and Fredrick John Stare professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The other authors include: Dr. Kelly D. Brownell; Dr. Frank J. Chaloupka; Dr. Joseph W. Thompson; and Dr. David S. Ludwig.

To view the article through the New England Journal of Medicine’s web site, click here.