A new Coca-Cola ad, which encourages people to come together to fight obesity, is drawing fire from consumer advocates and obesity experts.
The two-minute video, appearing Monday night on several national cable networks, talks about the company's range of beverages and how the industry voluntarily changed its offerings in schools to primarily waters, juices, and low- and no-calorie options.
"All calories count. No matter where they come from including Coca-Cola and everything else with calories," the ad says. "And if you eat and drink more calories than you burn off, you'll gain weight."
Critics say the company is doing damage control to combat the widespread belief that sugary beverages contribute to obesity.
Currently about two-thirds of adults and a third of children in this country are overweight or obese. A diet high in added sugars is linked to many poor health conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
