Family Medicine's Sweet Tooth -- for Money

Nov. 16, 2009— -- What do family medicine and Coca-Cola have in common?

Nothing.

Except $500,000.

The American Academy of Family Physicians announced this month that it has received a $500,000 donation from Coca-Cola as part of their Consumer Alliance Program.

In theory, this program seeks "to develop robust new programs and educational materials" to help patients and health care providers make "better choices... to achieve a healthy lifestyle."

According to its Consumer Alliance Web site, the Academy recognizes the "significant influence" that corporations have over consumer choices in seeking to make decisions about diet and other health behaviors.

The chief scientific and regulatory officer of the Coca-Cola Company stated that "[o]ur partnership [with AAFP and FamilyDoctor.org] will help provide Americans with credible information on beverages and enable consumers to make informed decisions about what they drink based on individual need."

It is hard for me, as a family physician, to see the "individual need" to drink high fructose corn syrup.

This might be an individual desire. It might be an individual choice. But there is no "need" here.

The Academy proudly presents its "Sweetener Education Program" using language eerily similar to Coca-Cola's: "to help consumers make informed decisions about certain natural and artificial sweeteners."

Contrary to what Coke and the AAFP contend, the "informed decision" seems pretty straightforward.

According to a study by the University of North Carolina in 2004, high fructose corn syrup alters the body metabolism in such a way as to increase weight relative to other sugars.