From the air they look like tiny stepping stones ringed by translucent hues of jade and sapphire, the sands on their deserted beaches soft as powdered sugar.
"Soft drinks and sugar-containing beverages are the low hanging fruit in public health today, " says Dr. David Ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, at Children's Hospital in Boston.
It begins with the sugarcane pulp, which is processed into various forms: from the liquid sugar used to make soft drinks, to the more syrupy sugar used to make hard candy, VHP sugar for exportation, refined and granulated sugar.
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Soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the main source of added sugars in the American diet, according to the statement.
Over the past 10 years, the consumption of soft drinks containing added sugar has fallen by 9% while the incidence of obesity has increased by 15%.
One or just a few companies still dominate the production of goods such as cement, glass, soft drinks, flour, sugar, and bread.
For the sponge, using a rubber spatula, combine the 3 cups flour, yeast, milk, sugar, and soft butter in a mixer bowl or another large bowl.
"Even so, it is not definitive evidence that sugar-sweetened soft drinks increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, other than through their effect on body weight, " he added.
Commenting on the results, Dr Matthew Hobbs, head of research at Diabetes UK, said the link between sugar-sweetened soft drinks and Type-2 diabetes persisted even when body mass index was taken into account.
When people drink too many beverages containing added sugar, such as soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy or sports beverages, they tend to put on weight.
He is a self-made businessman who owns Cultiba, a corporation that produces cane sugar and molasses, and distributes soft drinks in Mexico, including all Pepsi-brand drinks.
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Nearby in Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest city, the iconic pastry shop Abdel Rahman Hallab specializes in regional pastries like halawit jibneh soft ricotta-like cheese rolled in pastry and topped with sugar syrup and sfiha, small savory pies topped with spicy beef or lamb and pine nuts.
On its website, the New York City Department of Health describes how drinking one 20-ounce (590ml) sweetened soft drink a day translates into eating 50 pounds (22.6kg) of sugar a year.
But he called on soft drinks companies to display clearer warnings on their beverages about the risks of too much sugar and caffeine.
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