ukactive chair Tanni Grey-Thompson has issued a strong rebuttal to a Times article which appeared to suggest that Coca Cola’s membership of the physical activity trade body had influenced its position on obesity.

The article, which follows the recent controversy regarding Coca Cola’s sponsorship of scientific research, said the drinks giant has “poured millions of pounds into British scientific research and healthy-eating initiatives to counter claims that its drinks help to cause obesity.”

The piece went on to highlight links between ukactive and Coca Cola, selecting choice quotes from former ukactive chair Fred Turok – specifically the oft-repeated notion that “You can be fat and fit” – to seemingly imply that focus was placed on physical inactivity over obesity to the benefit of Coca Cola.

In a letter to The Times, Grey-Thompson said Turok’s quote was a “statement of fact,” noting that ukactive has consistently championed healthy eating and regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. But, she added, it has also distinguished between inactivity and obesity – issues which are often conflated by policymakers and the media.

“Our position on public health issues has been consistent and unaffected by any outside influence,” wrote Grey-Thompson.

“We have never disputed the importance of obesity as a public health concern for the UK. But we have also been unwavering in pointing out that obesity and physical inactivity are separate public health issues that need to be tackled as dual priorities of equal significance.”

As pointed out by Health Club Management previously, although Coca Cola-funded studies have reached a conclusion that inactivity is more deadly than a poor diet, the findings are supported by a number of independent studies. Chief among these was the recent research from Cambridge University which found physical inactivity is killing twice as many Europeans as obesity.

Although eyebrows were raised in the fitness industry when the soft drinks giant launched an exercise collaboration with ukactive last year - Coca-Cola GB’s corporate responsibility & sustainability manager Liz Lowe was recently elected onto the ukactive Membership Council - Coca Cola has recently been increasing its presence in the physical activity sector, both internationally and in the UK, as it has sought to underline its commitment to helping get people active.

ukactive points out that it has 3,500 members, of which Coca Cola is one, and maintains it is willing to work with a wide range of collaborators, including anyone who has a role to play in getting ‘more people, more active, more often.’

In her letter to The Times Grey-Thompson acknowledged the work that ukactive has done with Coca Cola and said this had led to significant opportunities for thousands of people to get active.

“The ukactive Research Institute provides independent evaluation of the Parklives project run by Coca Cola Great Britain in partnership with local authorities and activity providers,” she wrote.

“This partnership has given over 25,000 people access to free activity classes in local parks across the country.”

Summing up her letter, the ukactive chair pointed out that the statistics show that a lack of exercise leads to a significantly higher risk of early death.

Grey-Thompson concluded: “The fact is that inactivity kills, even if you are thin. This is about a healthy overall lifestyle and measuring the fitness of your heart, not just the size of your waist.