Q&A: Medical Student’s Sugary Idea Could Become Law

A UC San Francisco medical student thought of an idea that is now a bill, and could one day become law in California. Tom Gaither, a first year student at the UCSF School of Medicine, suggests putting the following warning label on sugary beverage containers that have 75 or more calories per 12 ounces: “STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.”

Gaither won first place in a California Medical Association (CMA) contest called “My CMA Ideas.” It solicited public health legislation ideas from medical students and medical residents to empower them in crafting public policy legislation that could help people stay healthy. State Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel) will carry the bill, which has the support of the CMA, the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, the California Black Health Network and the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California.

Inside UCSF spoke with Gaither about the contest, how he came up with the idea, and why he’s so passionate about educating people about the dangers of sugar.

How did you hear about the CMA idea contest?

I heard about the contest through an email sent out to our class listserv from the Medical Education office. Kalai Diamond with UME sent it out and from there I decided to enter the contest.

Take us through the process of entering this contest. Was it collaborative or was each idea generated by an individual?

Each idea is generated by an individual and then submitted on the CMA idea contest forum. The ideas were then voted upon by the general public, and then CMA selected an idea that had a lot of votes (not necessarily the most votes) and was an idea that they thought had political ground. 

The idea of putting a warning label on sugary beverages came about long before you applied for medical school. Tell us about your experience educating students about sugary beverages in San Jose.

Contrary to what the news says about my story, I actually only taught a UNIT about sugary metabolism and nutrition. I did not teach a whole semester, as some have reported.

I just noticed that so many of my high school students drank sugary beverages despite the fact that sugary beverages have been outlawed from school vending machines. So many of them knew about the harmful affects of soda but I think the majority of them still believed that so called “sports drinks” was actually good for them and that it "rehydrates" you (even if you didn't just run a marathon). I taught a unit class on sugar and sugary beverage metabolism that was highly inspired by Dr. Robert Lustig's work here at UCSF on a video entitled "Sugar: The Bitter Truth.”

What are some of the most common misconceptions about sugary beverages, especially among children?

The biggest misconception among the youth I worked with was that "soda was the only drink they should avoid." If passed, the bill will cover ANY drink with more than 75 calories per fluid oz due to sugar content. This will include energy drinks, sports drinks, and many teas.  The majority of my high school students paid attention to taste, how it's labeled (catchy labeling, not nutritional labeling) and marketed. What I think is the biggest concern is that there is overwhelming evidence that this amount of sugar leads to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay. People know sugar is "bad" but they don't realize the extent of how bad it is. 

How did you find out you won the CMA idea contest? What was your reaction?

Alecia Sanchez with the California Medical Association called me about 2-3 weeks ago and told me I was a finalist. From there, we discussed more about my bill and how I saw it being put into action. Then, a week before the bill was introduced, she called to tell me I won the contest and that she wanted me to be there when the bill was announced. I was extremely excited to hear that my idea was chosen. She wanted to keep it as quiet as possible and they didn't announce the winner as early as they would like to because they wanted to get a leg up on the beverage industry. We knew there would be a huge backlash from them and we wanted the opportunity to present it first. 

Anyone you’d like to thank or acknowledge?

I would really like to thank Dr. Lustig (who I don't personally know) for his inspirational video about sugar. I, myself, didn't even know all the harmful affects that it has on our bodies. I would also like to thank my students, of course!

Has your experience teaching children about the dangers of sugary drinks influence your direction in medicine? If so, how?

I have always loved teaching, and this experience has definitely led me to want to pursue a career in academic medicine (in what field is still TBD). However, in whatever I do I want to be active in public health initiatives and public policy because this is where I believe larger change occurs. But this change must be backed by intense scientific research. I just don't think our policy makers listen to research as much as they should. In whatever field I end up pursuing, I hope to teach, be active in the clinic, and do research, and I hope that this research is not only useful in the clinic but also to the public as a whole.