Cancer group: US must see soda health risk like tobacco risk

The American Cancer Society (ACS) wants U.S. health officials to denounce the health risks of drinking soda the way they denounced the health risks of using tobacco in the 1960s.

In a letter, the group's nonprofit arm asked for a federal study that could serve as a landmark in the debate — something comparable to the 1964 surgeon general report that helped turn the tide on American tobacco use.

"An unbiased and comprehensive report on the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages could have a major impact on the public’s consciousness," wrote ACS Cancer Action Network President Christopher W. Hansen.

"We know there is a direct link between excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity, and the adverse health effect can be profound."

Obesity is considered the United States' leading public health crisis. It is the country's No. 2 cause of preventable death, according to the Get America Fit Foundation.

Writing to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Hansen sought to highlight a possible link between obesity and cancer.

He cited his group's cancer-prevention guidelines, which state, "Consuming a healthy diet can substantially reduce one’s lifetime risk of developing or dying from cancer."

A "comprehensive" surgeon general study on the issue could "perhaps begin to change the direction of public behavior in their choices of food and drinks," he wrote.

Hansen's letter was dated Tuesday.

---