Banned Sodas = Less Consumption and Slimmer Waistlines
The benefits of banning sugary-drink sales in the workplace.
Ten months after the University of California, San Francisco, banned sales of soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks, 214 full-time employees who had frequently consumed these beverages were drinking only about half as much of them, on average, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine. The research also showed a drop in waist circumference among the employees.
These results are promising because they indicate that an environmental change, in this case limiting access to sugary drinks in the workplace, can help people make wiser dietary choices over the long run and can potentially improve employee health. Plus, this type of policy may be less controversial than a soda tax.
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Awardโwinning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runnerโs World, Menโs Health, Shape, Menโs Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.
