LOS ANGELES (The New York Times News Service) -- A first-of-its-kind study released today definitively links soda consumption and an obesity epidemic, which costs California taxpayers an estimated $41 billion annually.

Using interviews with 43,000 adults and 4,000 adolescents statewide, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research analyzed the correlation between soft drink consumption and weight.

It found that adults who drink at least one soda or sugar-sweetened energy drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight or obese. For children, the risk of obesity soars 60 percent with each daily serving of soda or sugary beverage.

"While we know that this epidemic is here, we need to know specifically and scientifically where the epidemic is coming from," said Harold Goldstein, executive director for the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which commissioned the study.

"For me, the most powerful finding is the link between sugary drinks and obesity," he said. "I have nothing whatsoever against the industry itself, but I have a problem with those products.

"We are drinking soda like it's water, but it's not. It's water packed with 17 teaspoons of sugar. Our kids are drinking bottles of sugar."

The American Beverage Association, an industry group that represents soft drink manufacturers, did not respond to requests for comment.

But in a statement on the group's Web site, it denied there is a direct link between soda consumption and obesity.

"The fact is that the compendium of science, regardless of funding source, does not show that soft drinks or other sweetened beverages uniquely contribute to obesity -- nor, for that matter, that they are uniquely linked to any negative health consequences," the association said.

The UCLA study included a county-by-county look at soda consumption and the percentage of overweight adults.

It found that soda is consumed daily by a quarter of adults in Los Angeles County, where 56 percent of those over age 18 are overweight or obese. Soft drink consumption in neighboring Ventura County is roughly comparable, although the number of overweight and obese adults tops 58 percent there.

Statewide, 24 percent of adults drink at least one soda a day and 56 percent are overweight or obese.

The highest rate of consumption was reported in the Central Valley's Kings County, where 40 percent of adult residents drink soda daily and 64 percent have a weight problem. Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area has the lowest soda consumption, 10 percent, although 44 percent of its adult population is overweight or obese.

According to Goldstein, obesity rates increased by 35 percent across California from 1995 to 2006.

Noting that milk consumption has dropped 38 percent since 1977, researchers were surprised at how much soda is consumed by adolescents -- those aged 12-17 -- and children 2-11. In Los Angeles County, nearly 65 percent of adolescents and 44 percent of younger children drink soda every day. The concern is that these habits will continue as the children grow into adulthood.

Obesity has been linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiac disease. And while health care reform continues to be debated in Washington, obesity related issues cost California $41 billion a year in medical costs and time lost at work -- double the figure from a decade ago, according to a study released earlier this year by Goldstein's organization.

"It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, Latino or white, if you drink a soda each day, you're at risk," said Susan Babey, research scientist for the UCLA center. "From a health perspective, the best thing is to drink water, and for younger kids white milk.

At the same time, parents face a challenge, with 450 varieties of soda now on the market.

Researchers at both UCLA and the center for public health policy suggest that legislators impose an industry fee on soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages, with revenue used to help the community.

"If we're serious about curbing the obesity epidemic, we have to start with the biggest culprit," Goldstein said. "Sodas are at or near the top of the list."

Previous efforts to impose a fee on soft drink manufacturers have been unsuccessful. A 2002 bill that would have imposed a surcharge to help pay for obesity-related costs was amended to ban the sale of soda on school campuses -- a measure that was signed into law the next year. Lawmakers, however, remain concerned about the long-term effects of soft-drink consumption.

"I am planning a hearing in early November where we will hear from experts about the link between soda consumption and obesity," said state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Van Nuys, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes.

"Parents need to know about the impact soda consumption can have on their children's health. And, we should consider the policy options available to us."

Copyright 2009 The New York Times News Service. All rights reserved.