A proposal by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to decrease rising obesity rates through a ban on using food stamps to purchase soda and other sugar-laden drinks was rejected by the USDA.

Sugary soft drinks are nutritionally bankrupt beverages that contribute to obesity, diabetes and rotting teeth. So, why is the American Academy of Family Physicians—a professional organization that boasts of representing more than 94,600 U.S. doctors—crawling into bed with Coca-Cola?

As reported Thursday by Associated Press Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, the AAFP has signed a six-figure deal with Coke dealers to “fund educational materials about soft drinks.”

“We’ve made a conscious choice to diversify our revenue,” said AAFP President-Elect Lori Heim, MD,  in a press statement.

As a result, some family doctors are canceling their memberships—the only sane bit of news in this story. One can only hope the rest of America’s family docs will protest the alliance and, if rebuffed, follow suit.

FYI: Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent thinks his carbonated cans of empty calories are fine and dandy, and he protested proposed “sin taxes” on soft drinks in an Oct. 7 Wall Street Journal op-ed piece. I can't wait to see his "educational" materials.