Health groups to Katy Perry: “Please stop” marketing pepsi

Health organizations are calling on singer Katy Perry not to market Pepsi. The groups, who are gathered in Los Angeles for a Healthy Beverages Summit, say that the popular singer is putting her young fans at greater risk of obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses by promoting Pepsi in connection with her films and music. Perry recently let Pepsi wage an online election to determine which song the singer would perform at the Video Music Awards.

One out of three children is overweight or obese, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, which co-convened the Healthy Beverage Summit with the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, the California Black Health Network, the California Endowment, the California Pan Ethnic Health Network, and the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. Consuming one additional sugar drink per day raises a child’s risk of becoming obese by 60 percent. Sugary drinks are also linked with increased risk of hypertension and heart disease.