--- description: Coke has recruited influential experts to convince weight-conscious Americans that exercise, not diet, is the pathway to good health. title: Coke is Funding Scientists with a Controversial Weight Loss Message image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Retail](/tag/retail/) ## Retail Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Coke Is Funding Scientists With a Controversial Health Message by [Jonathan Chew / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Jonathan Chew / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 10, 2015 12:11 PM CUT by [Jonathan Chew / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Jonathan Chew / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 10, 2015 12:11 PM CUT Coca-Cola is providing millions of dollars in funding for a non-profit group that argues weight-conscious Americans should be paying more attention to exercise and less attention to their diet, _The New York Times_ [reports](http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/coca-cola-funds-scientists-who-shift-blame-for-obesity-away-from-bad-diets/?%5Fr=1 "undefined"). “Most of the focus in the popular media and in the scientific press is, ‘Oh they’re eating too much, eating too much, eating too much’ — blaming fast food, blaming sugary drinks and so on,” says Steven N. Blair, vice president of the group, known as the [Global Energy Balance Network](https://gebn.org/ "undefined"), in [a video](http://www.sharewik.com/portfolio-items/the-global-energy-balance-getting-the-word-out/ "undefined"). “And there’s really virtually no compelling evidence that that, in fact, is the cause.” Two universities that employ leaders of the Global Energy Balance Network told the _Times_ that Coca-Cola had donated $1.5 million last year to start the organization, and that the company had provided close to $4 million in funding for other projects spearheaded by two members from the group. Health experts are calling Coca-Cola’s motives into question, especially in a [longstanding era of declining soda sales](http://fortune.com/2015/03/26/soda-sales-drop-2014/ "undefined"). “The Global Energy Balance Network is nothing but a front group for Coca-Cola,” Marion Nestle, author of the book _Soda Politics_ and a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, told the _Times_. “Coca-Cola’s agenda here is very clear: Get these researchers to confuse the science and deflect attention from dietary intake.” This isn’t the first time Coca-Cola has tried to popularize the idea that its products are healthier than believed. In February, it was [reported](https://www.yahoo.com/food/coke-makes-push-to-market-soda-as-healthy-snack-113779741886.html "undefined") that fitness and nutrition experts wrote Coke-endorsed online pieces for American Hearth Month arguing that a mini-can of Coke could be a healthy treat. Last year, the American Beverage Association, which represents Coke and Pepsi, [published](https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/oby20737.pdf "undefined") findings of a study that suggested diet soda could aid in weight loss, a result that’s been [refuted elsewhere](http://time.com/3746047/diet-soda-bad-belly-fat/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3990403/coke-is-funding-scientists-with-a-controversial-health-message/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3990403/coke-is-funding-scientists-with-a-controversial-health-message/"},"headline":"Coke Is Funding Scientists With a Controversial Health Message","datePublished":"2015-08-10T12:11:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T10:02:12.407Z","description":"As soda sales continue to plummet","url":"https://time.com/3990403/coke-is-funding-scientists-with-a-controversial-health-message/","keywords":["Retail","coca-cola","pubdesk"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jonathan Chew / Fortune"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/retail/","name":"Retail"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3990403/coke-is-funding-scientists-with-a-controversial-health-message/","name":"Coke Is Funding Scientists With a Controversial Health Message"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Pepsi Knocks Out Diet Coke As Second Most Popular Soda In US","description":"Data from Beverage Insider shows more Americans are purchasing Pepsi than Diet Coke, making it the second most popular soda in the U.S.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Fup8lR9t/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-03-27T16:49:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Fup8lR9t.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3990403/coke-is-funding-scientists-with-a-controversial-health-message/","duration":"PT1M22S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3990403/coke-is-funding-scientists-with-a-controversial-health-message/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```