In the battle against America's growing obesity problem, health experts are rallying support for a proposed federal tax on soda.

Lawmakers have considered taxing sugary beverages as one way to pay for health reform, and have proposed a tax of one cent on every ounce of soda. The idea hasn't fizzled among health experts, who are pushing for the tax as a way to combat obesity.

National Medical Consultants, P.C. president, Eugene DeBlasio, M.D., F.A.A.P. says there are definitely links between consumption of soft drinks and obesity; and he backs soda taxation as a new way to combat a climbing number of patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes.

"Sodas do not have any nutritional benefit at all," he says. "Obesity is the real key here. It has been shown categorically that obese patients have a much greater chance of becoming pre-diabetic or diabetic. With non-diet soda, you are getting quite a sugar load. You are over-stimulating the pancreas to release more insulin."

Health experts have also suggested high consumption of certain sodas could be linked to kidney disease and osteoporosis, implicating the high phosphorus content in carbonated beverages in depleting calcium from the bones. Dr. DeBlasio also warns, "Darkened sodas use a dye that can hurt the kidneys, so for patients who have kidney disease this should be avoided."

Researchers at The Center for Public Health Advocacy and the UCLA Center for Health Policy and Research echo his claims, linking soda consumption to obesity. The survey, entitled "Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California", showed 24 percent of 42,000 California adults drink a minimum of one regular soda daily. Research showed 27 percent of those consumers were more likely to be overweight. It also found that 62 percent of children ages 12 to 17 drink at least one soda a day, while numbers for those ages 2 to 11 jump to 41 percent.

Already, taxes on sodas have been adopted by 33 states, which charge a sales tax averaging 5.2 percent for a standard 12-ounce can. However, a federal tax could generate increased revenue to help curb the growing obesity epidemic, according to some experts -- who suggest it could be used to provide funding to educate the public on the adverse effect of consuming the beverages.

Some experts who support the legislation insist there must be a great enough tax increase to prompt consumers to curb their habits in order for the public to reap any significant health benefit.

"There is considerable evidence that such a tax, if properly structured, could curb consumption. A tax would have to be big enough to influence what is purchased. For example, a really small tax may not have much effect," says Goutham Rao, M.D., Associate Professor, Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He adds, "I am supportive of a tax, as long as it is intended to actually influence obesity rates among children, rather than simply as a way to raise revenue during difficult economic times."

Dr. Rao, who also serves as Clinical Director of the Weight Management and Wellness Center, hopes to open the discussion of soda taxation to include other sugary drinks that pose health risks: "A tax would also have to be applied broadly to all sweet beverages associated with obesity (including energy drinks, sports drinks, etc.) Since obesity and related illnesses (such as diabetes) are very complex and have many different causes, the net effect of curbing sweet drink consumption on such illnesses may be small. Nevertheless, it would be a step in the right direction."

Dr. DeBlasio agrees, noting that diet drinks should also be suspect and included in the tax proposal -- as other additives used to sweeten the drinks also show potential for harm.

He concludes, "Another whole debate exists about the preservatives in the diet sodas. Aspartame has been implicated in the past as cancerous. I think there is credibility to some of the studies. I would support a tax of both (diet and non-diet sodas)."