The focus of this years American Medical Association (AMA) annual conference is reducing the amount of excess salt and sugar from the nations daily diet. The 544 top U.S. doctors will contend with cutting salt in foods by at least half over the next decade and taxing sugary soft drinks to fight obesity. Obesity, a result of poor diet and other factors, is a major contributor to developing heart disease.The AMA plans to ask the FDA to place strict regulations on salt content in processed foods and fast food. State and local level taxes on soft drinks-- though opposed by the soft drink industry-- may curb consumption, as well as raise about a billion dollars in revenue to be utilized by programs promoting healthy diets and minimizing obesity-- a first in the U.S.
