The California Medical Association (CMA) is sponsoring AB 1746, a bill that will close a loophole that allows sports drinks to be sold on middle and high school campuses. Sodas are already banned, but sports drinks, which contain replacement electrolytes as well as high-fructose corn syrup and other calorie-laden sweeteners, are not. The bill was introduced on February 17 by Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara). All sugar-sweetened drinks are currently prohibited on elementary school campuses.
"CMA is pleased to join Assemblymember Williams and other groups committed to public health in sponsoring this bill," said James T. Hay, M.D., CMA President. "One in three California students is overweight or obese. We know that sugar-sweetened beverages, including sports drinks, are a major contributor to the problem."
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), sports drinks may be useful when large quantities of fluids are lost through sweating on a daily basis by those who perform continuous exercise for more than 60 minutes. However, the USDA concludes that there is no need to substitute sports drinks for water as a primary form of fluid replacement. The current school day does not include the kind of rigorous activity that warrants ready access to sports drinks.
CMA joins the California Center for Public Health Advocacy as a sponsor of the bill. Learn more in this Assembly Access Video:
Contact: Ryan Spencer, (916) 551- 2878 or rspencer@cmanet.org.