The Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN) was a US-based

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

claiming to fund research into causes of

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...

, but was primarily known for promoting the idea that lack of

physical exercise Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic s ...

, not bad diet, was primarily responsible for the

obesity epidemic Obesity has been observed throughout human history. Many early depictions of the human form in art and sculpture appear obese. However, it was not until the 20th century that obesity became common — so much so that, in 1997, the World Heal ...

. It has been characterised as an

astroturfing Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants. It is a ...

organisation. It received substantial funding from

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

. It has been criticised by nutrition experts for downplaying the role of junk food in obesity. Critics have also accused the

American College of Sports Medicine The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a sports medicine and exercise science membership organization. Founded in 1954, ACSM holds conferences, publishes books and journals, and offers certif ...

(ACSM) of supporting GEBN. The ACSM claims it had no affiliation with GEBN. GEBN's view of

weight In science and engineering, the weight of an object is the force acting on the object due to gravity. Some standard textbooks define weight as a vector quantity, the gravitational force acting on the object. Others define weight as a scalar qua ...

and metabolic health promoted the idea that weight loss can be achieved by taking more exercise while maintaining the same level of consumption - this view "crosses a line by advancing a view that falls outside the scientific consensus", and presents an overly simplistic view of the energy balance equation, with experts noting that "evidence for eating less as a weight-loss strategy is much, much stronger than the evidence for moving more".

Outcome

Coca-Cola was given a 2015

Shonky Award Most commonly known as CHOICE (all capitals), the Australian Consumers' Association is an Australian not for profit consumer advocacy organisation. It is an independent membership based organisation founded in 1959 that researches and campai ...

by Australian consumer organisation

Choice A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate motivators and models. For example, a traveler might choose a route for a journey based on the preference of arriving at a give ...

, due to its funding of GEBN, which amounted to at least $1.5m in 2015. On November 30, 2015, the group announced on its website that it would discontinue operations immediately. Shortly before this, the chief public scientist at

announced her retirement. Coca-Cola did not replace the position. On August 2, 2016, it was announced Gregory Hand would be forced out as the Founding Dean of the

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

School of Public Health. As of March 2020, a simplified (partly German-language) version of the website is up.

References

External links

Official website

GEBN Website from October 2015
in the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

*{{cite web , title=coca cola funding exercise research , website=MedCity News , date=2015-08-10 , url=https://medcitynews.com/2015/08/coca-cola-research-obesity-exercise-diet-global-energy-balance-network/ , ref={{sfnref , MedCity News , 2015 , access-date=2021-06-09 Obesity organizations Coca-Cola Organizations established in 2014 Organizations disestablished in 2015