Analysts Question Integrity Of Studies Funded By Soft Drink Companies

With recent lawsuits over the quality of "healthy" drinks produced by soda companies, now recent health studies conducted by companies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are being called into question.

A study from the University of Leeds sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company, shows that dieting women preferred oranges over chocolate when they smelled oranges beforehand, as opposed to similar dieters who smelled chocolate first, according to Medical Daily.

Despite the study's claims, many are calling into question its integrity because of the company's products and its tendency to feature slim, healthy-looking people in its advertisements for sugary, fattening beverages. Some analysts have even likened them to tobacco companies who have notoriously skewed studies in the past, according to Medical Daily.

"Soda CSR initiatives have to be put in perspective," Andrew Cheyne, a researcher at the Berkeley Media Studies Group in California, told Medical Daily. "They're using them to distract the public and policy makers from their main business, which is selling sugary and caffeinated drinks to as many people as possible."

But, the American Beverage Association has issued an open statement disputing these claims: "There is simply no comparison between soda and tobacco — not among our products, nor our business practices. Tobacco in and of itself is harmful — in any amount; our beverages are not. They can be enjoyed as part of a balanced, active and healthy lifestyle."