Barry Popkin quoted by USA Today in "Critics attack Coke's anti-obesity ad"

Nanci Hellmich writes, in a USA Today article titled Critics attack Coke’s anti-obesity ad:

A new Coca-Cola ad, which encourages people to come together to fight obesity, is drawing fire from consumer advocates and obesity experts. The two-minute video,appearing Monday night on several national cable networks, talks about the company’s range of beverages and how the industry voluntarily changed its offerings in schools to primarily waters, juices, and low- and no-calorie options…

Critics say the company is doing damage control to combat the widespread belief that sugary beverages contribute to obesity. Currently about two-thirds of adults and a third of children in this country are overweight or obese. A diet high in added sugars is linked to many poor health conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke…

“The Coca-Cola Company still remains one of the major causes of obesity in the USA and globally,” says Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and one of the nation’s top experts on beverage consumption. “Yes, other foods matter, but the biggest single source contributor to child and adult obesity in the USA is sugar-sweetened beverages.”