Dietitians Are Buying Coke’s Line: Sugar, Fluoride, Artificial Colors are SAFE f

[Guest guest]

Well, money talks.

Dietitians Are Buying Coke’s Line: Sugar, Fluoride, Artificial Colors are

SAFE for Children!

_http://www.anh-usa.org/dietitians-are-buying-cokes-line/_

(http://www.anh-usa.org/dietitians-are-buying-cokes-line/)

We wish we could say we are surprised. Registered dietitians are now being

given formal education by the Coca-Cola Company on how safe its

ingredients are.

The credentialing arm of the American Dietetic Association, the Commission

on Dietetic Registration (CDR), has approved _a program created by the The

Coca-Cola Company Beverage Institute for Health and Wellness_

(http://www.thebeverageinstitute.org/webinar-childrensdietary-cpe.htm) [uPDATE

6/15/11:

The linked website is not available as of the morning after this article's

publication. The program can still be viewed on an alternate site here,

and in the event that site also disappears we have also mirrored the page on

our own server here.] This covers what it calls “urban myths†about the

safety of food ingredients. Participating in this program will earn

registered dietitians Continuing Professional Education unit credits.

**Children’s Dietary Recommendations: When Urban Myths, Opinions, Parental

Perceptions & Evidence Collide,** tells dietitians that fluoride, sugar,

artificial colors and nonnutritive sweeteners have been **carefully examined

for their effects on children’s health, growth, and development.** The

presenter, Dr. Kleinman, **explores prevalent misconceptions about

these food ingredients** and suggests ways the dietitian can help quell

unnecessary **concern among parents about their children’s health.**

At first glance, Dr. Kleinman should know what he is talking about. He is

physician-in-chief at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, chief of

the Pediatric Gastrointestinal and Nutrition Unit, and Associate Professor

of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Couldn’t sound better, could it?

But he has also _received a great deal of money from industry sources_

(http://ethicalnag.org/2011/01/27/integrity-in-science-report/) —like

artificial

infant formula manufacturers Mead and Nestle Ltd. His study on

optimal duration of breastfeeding was funded by Gerber Products. He also

served as a paid expert witness for Gerber when they were sued for deceptive

advertising. And he contributed to a brochure intended for children entitled

**Variety’s Mountain** produced by the Sugar Association.

Now he’s being sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company and telling dietitians

that the ingredients in Coke which everyone is alarmed about are safe. The

dietitians, in turn, will be telling parents that their fears are unfounded,

and Coke can sell more Coke to kids.

_Program materials_

(http://www.thebeverageinstitute.org/downloads/webinars/childrens_dietary/101209\

-slides-BIHW.pdf) include gems like **[a]

majority of studies so far have not found a link between sugar and behavior in

children generally or children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder.** This is certainly news to us, since we have seen many studies

that say the opposite. Apparently the dietitians are to teach us that any

connection between artificial colors and neurotoxicity, or fears of the

dangers of fluoride, are imaginary and come from hysterical (or at least unduly

concerned) parents.

_As we reported recently_

(http://www.anh-usa.org/how-sweet-it-isnt-cutting-through-the-hype-and-deception\

/) , sugar and artificial sweeteners are

anything but safe. _Fluoride poses a significant risk to the kidneys_

(http://www.anh-usa.org/fluoride—good-for-the-teeth-but-bad-for-the-kidneys/)

.. And

commonly used food dyes pose risks which include hyperactivity in children,

cancer (in animal studies), and allergic reactions. Even the Center for

Science in the Public Interest, _an organization that supports nuking food_

(http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/APNews/Article_2011-06-06-HealthBeat-Irradiat

ed%20Food/id-b8ee1b31d1144901a599f72f20b56ea6) , agrees with this. And the

British government and European Union have taken actions that are virtually

ending the use of dyes throughout Europe.

The ADA is _sponsored by the soda and junk food industries_

(http://www.anh-usa.org/playing-monopoly-with-our-health/) —which we feel

greatly tarnishes

the organization’s credibility. And you may recall that the ADA has

mounted a state-by-state campaign to make sure that its Commission is the only

one which will be accepted as a credentialing body for both registered

dietitians and nutritionists.

There are, of course, _significant philosophical differences between

nutritionists and dietitians_

(http://www.anh-usa.org/campaigns/monopoly-over-nutritional-therapy/) —they

represent two different fields of study and

practice. By accepting only a single credentialing agency—one run by the

dietitians, not nutritionists—state boards are establishing a

**one-size-fits-all** standard which removes all competition, essentially

handing the ADA a

government mandated monopoly over nutritional therapy.

Unfortunately, _the Nevada bill we told you about last month_

(http://www.anh-usa.org/how-the-american-dietetic-association-is-strengthening-i\

ts-monopo

ly/) passed both the Assembly and the Senate and was signed by the

governor on June 5th. While some amendments were made, the most troubling parts

of the bill still remain: only registered dietitians can practice

**dietetics,** which is defined by the law to include nutrition assessment,

evaluation, diagnosis, counseling, intervention, monitoring and

treatment—everything

that a good nutritionist does and should do.

We also told you about an ADA bill in New York, S.3556. The state’s Senate

Finance Committee met on June 13 and decided to pass the bill to the Rules

Committee so that it could be considered on the Senate floor. They are

trying to rush these bills through, because next week the Assembly is

scheduled to finish its work for the year, unless the chair calls a special

session

in the fall. _Please click on our New York Action Alert here._

(https://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display & page=UserAction & id=71\

5)

The ADA’s power grab is a complete travesty. We will keep fighting it

state by state until we restore competition in nutritional counseling and stop

gagging PhD-trained nutritionists who don’t become dietitians.