Shocking PSA Ads Target Sugar

Scare tactic or truth?

Either way, it’s shocking and attention-grabbing.

New York City’s Department of Health has decided to help educate New Yorkers about the potentially serious health effects of consuming sugary drinks by producing this PSA, the latest installment in their Pouring on the Pounds campaign. When you read their press release you can understand why the passionate campaign was started.

?This new campaign shows how easy it is to drink a staggering amount of sugar in one day without realizing it. We hope that this campaign will encourage people to make the simple switch to healthier alternatives such as water, seltzer or low-fat milk. If this campaign shifts habits even slightly, it could have real health benefits,? said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner.

Americans now consume an average of 200 to 300 more calories each day than they did 30 years ago ? nearly half of this increase in calories comes from sugary drinks. The Health Department’s 2009 Community Health Survey found that more than 1.9 million New Yorkers drink at least one sugary beverage each day ? adding as much as 250 empty calories to their diets.

More than 700,000 New Yorkers now have diabetes and more than a million have a condition called pre-diabetes.

Some states have started taxing fizzy drinks. Do you think that’s a good idea?

I’m curious to see if this campaign will have any effect on New Yorkers or actually on any of us despite where we live. So the burning question is: Does this PSA make you feel differently about sodas? Will this encourage you to curb or stop your intake?