It's a good thing that the First Lady is dealing with childhood obesity...

[Ken Burch]

But, will she fight for the change that will do more to stop it than anything else?

That is, a ban on the use of corn sweetener instead of sugar in soft drinks and other foods?

There's been tons of evidence that the decision by food and beverage processors to switch from sugar to corn syrup has played a major role in the increase in childhood obesity.

(I recognize, of course, that it would also be a good thing to get people to make sure their kids weren't drinking soft drinks, but a ban on corn syrup as a sweetener would do a lot do reduce the problem.)

[glowing]

1. Yeah right.. Iowa produces corn still right? So, HFCS is in almost everything.

Its in crackers, jelly, ketchup, bread. It would be one thing if you knowingly chugged down a coke, its another when buy a loaf of bread and its automatically inside of it.

[Ken Burch]

2. If Obama runs for renomination, he won't do it unless he's a shoo-in for a coronation

In a coronation-type process, the Iowa caucuses can't actually do you much harm. So an incumbent Dem seeking a second term by acclimation COULD get away with fighting for removing HFCS from foods. If nothing else, the case could be made that this would leave corn for ethanol production, which would also reduce the amount of new crops needed for that rather than for food.

[Hippo_Tron]

14. Iowa still has 7 electoral votes though and it is a swing state

Granted if a Democrat started talking about ending corn subsidies, that would put the Republican in an incredibly awkward position because they are trying to appease the "small government" types while still trying to win Iowa's electoral votes.

[elleng]

3. How about POVERTY being #1?

[cutlassmama]

5. Poverty should take care of the obesity problem

[Ken Burch]

10. A statement that demonstrates how little you know about poverty

Poor people are often obese because junk food and foods that promote obesity are almost always cheaper than healthy foods.

[elleng]

16. and are much more available.

[Ken Burch]

9. It's right up there too, I wasn't meaning to dismiss that by any means.

n/t.

[elleng]

17. Thanks, Ken.

Have you noticed lack of compatitive grocery stores in very low income neighborhoods? I understand that's 'business,' kind of like neighborhood schools. We are where we live, eh?

[cornermouse]

4. Maybe things are different in the city?

Honestly, I don't see obesity being such a problem in my area. I do, however, remember fairly recently the anorexia and bulemia being considered a widespread problem on the news. Also anorexia and bulimia can be more easily hidden from parents and concerned adults.

I think that obesity and the potential for overreaction to it from kids who aren't obese should be handled delicately and on a one-to-one basis, not as a campaign from the White House.

[Clio the Leo]

6. The problem in the cities isn't only obesity but food deserts...

.... the media is missing the other major point of her campaign ... the fact that it is difficult to find wholesome food and fresh vegetables in the inner city.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1900947,00.html

That was the whole point of going to that grocery store Friday.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/21/just-say-food-deserts-lady-tells-huckabee/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+foxnews%252Fpolitics+%2528Text+-+Politics%2529

[Ken Burch]

11. This is very true.

Perhaps one thing would be to encourage a modern-day version of the "A-Rab"(not Arab, "A-rab", a term with no ethnic connotations at all).

These were people, who would take horse-drawn wagons full of fresh produce into what we would now call inner-city areas, places where mainstream grocers wouldn't set up shop.

It could even be done as a public works-type project, where people who needed work could be given jobs bringing produce in to their communities(and some might eventually set up their own large grocery-type stores.

[Jennicut]

7. I am a diabetic and worry about my daughters developing it. All sugar and corn syrup

needs to be limited as well as refined carbs that turn into sugar when not used for energy.

[frazzled]

13. Well, you don't "get" diabetes from consuming too much sugar

This was explained to me by a friend who is a medical dietician who specializes in diabetes. (I had asked her because both my parents have Type 2 diabetes, and I wondered if limiting my sugar intake would help to prevent my getting it; her answer was an unequivocal "no.") But here it is, from a web site explaining it to kids:

True or False: Eating Too Much Sugar Causes Diabetes
False: When kids get type 1 diabetes, it's because their bodies can't make insulin anymore. The insulin-making cells in the pancreas (say: pan-kree-us) get destroyed, and it doesn't have anything to do with eating sugar. This isn't true for type 2 diabetes either, but there is a connection between type 2 diabetes and being overweight. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas can still make insulin (say: in-suh-lin), but the insulin doesn't work like it should. Eating too much sugar (or foods with sugar, like candy or regular soda) can cause weight gain, and if this causes a person to get too fat, it can lead to type 2 diabetes.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/diabetes_basics/what/diabetes_true_false.html

Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes is an inherent condition. Type 2 diabetes, which you get when you are older, can be affected by being overweight--but it doesn't matter if sugar, corn syrup, or french fries and hamburgers made you fat. Eating too much sugar won't make you diabetic, if you are not overweight.

[juno jones]

8. I can't help but wonder about a parallel link via genetic modification.

Poisonous refinement process + unresearched frankenfood. What's there not to dislike? Obesity or no, it doesn't sound very palatable or wholesome.

[Ken Burch]

12. OK, I'll take the "unrec's" as evidence that I've somehow upset the corn syrup trust.

If I find the "Helter Skelter" written in my front door in dark Karo, I'll know why.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. If by "ton" you mean "none" then sure.

All of the evidence indicates that HFCS soda is no difference than the old fashioned kind with cane sugar.

So does drinking soda with HFCS help lead to childhood obesity? Well sure, but no more than the old-fashioned stuff.

[Raine]

18. Agree

but that is something you'll never see her taking on, it would upset too many big contributors. x(