Critics Say Diet Drink Labels Are Forum for False Advertising by Mcclatchy Washington Bureau, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 04.16.15 Word Count 490

Critics say diet drink labels are forum for false advertising By McClatchy Washington Bureau, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.16.15 Word Count 490

Stephen Voltz (left) and Fritz Grobe create a geyser effect from a combination of diet soda and Mentos mints. Photo: AP Photo/Diane Bondareff

WASHINGTON — Recent research suggests that diet soft drinks may actually cause weight gain. Now, a new group is charging Coca-Cola and PepsiCo with false advertising.

The California-based group is known as Right to Know. It is calling on the government to stop the companies from labeling their drinks with the word “diet.”

Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi are "advertised to make us think they assist in weight loss,” the group said. "In fact ample scientiﬁc evidence suggests that this is not true, and the opposite may well be true."

Soda Makers Disagree With Claims

The American Beverage Association represents soda makers. It strongly denied Right to Know's claims. It said numerous studies show that diet sodas are very helpful as part of an overall weight-loss plan. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and other soda and food makers use artiﬁcial sweeteners instead of natural sugars. They claim the sweeteners are not fattening, even though they taste sugary. Switching to sodas containing artiﬁcial sweeteners can help people lose weight, they say.

Aspartame is the most popular sugar substitute. It is used in more than 5,000 products.

Both Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi contain aspartame. The artiﬁcial sweetener has been mainly sold under the brand name NutraSweet and is consumed worldwide.

Several Studies Show Diet Drinks Don't Help People Lose Weight

A number of recent studies have challenged the belief that artiﬁcial sweeteners help with weight loss. One example is a two-year study of 164 children. It found that overweight kids drank more diet sodas than normal-weight children.

Another nationwide study looked at more than 10,000 children ages 9 to 14. It found that drinking diet soda caused weight gains among boys.

However, not all scientists are convinced. In particular, they challenge the idea that the sweeteners cause weight gain. Dr. James O. Hill is one of the scientists who do not agree. He has conducted his own study of artiﬁcial sweeteners.

“I am absolutely convinced that there’s no way they are causing weight gain,” Hill said. Drinking diet sodas is "not something people should worry about,” he added.

Government Agency Fights False Advertising

Hill's own study found that people who drank diet soda lost more weight than those who drank water. Hill admitted he had gotten hundreds of thousands of dollars from the American Beverage Association to pay for the study. However, he said the Association had not tried to inﬂuence his research ﬁndings.

Right to Know admits that not all research studies agree. However, it said that studies paid for by soda makers are "less trustworthy" than those paid for independently.

The Food and Drug Administration is the government agency that is in charge of food labeling. The Trade Commission watches over advertising claims. Neither would comment on Right to Know's charge against the soda companies.

However, Trade Commission spokesman Peter Kaplan said the agency is always on the lookout for false advertising. The agency is particularly concerned with false health claims, Kaplan added. Quiz

1 How does the author elaborate on Right to Know's claim that diet sodas do not lead to weight loss?

(A) giving examples of health problems

(B) telling stories about weight loss

(D) citing scientists who performed a study

2 Fill in the blank in the sentence below.

In the section "Soda Makers Disagree With Claims," the author supports artiﬁcial sweeteners and sugar substitutes by describing ......

(A) the beneﬁts of sugar over artiﬁcial sweeteners.

(B) the dangers associated with sugar consumption.

(D) the delicious taste of products with artiﬁcial sweeteners

3 Which statement would PepsiCo agree with, but Right to Know would not?

(A) Replacing regular soda with diet soda is a healthy choice.

(B) Replacing aspartame with sugar is a healthy choice.

(D) Diet soda can help some people lose weight.

4 Fill in the blank in the sentence below to explain the point of view of the group Right to Know.

According to the article, the group Right to Know believes that ......

(A) aspartame is not actually a sugar substitute.

(B) companies should not pay for scientiﬁc studies.

(D) beverage makers are lying about the healthiness of diet soda. Answer Key