Reaction to this article has included comments on the funding of this research and how this may have influenced the research, particularly by public health nutritionist Prof. Marion Nestle on her Food Politics blog: http://www.foodpolitics.c....

PLOS staff editors and the handling Academic Editor were aware both that this work could have important implications for NHANES nutrition research, and that the work was funded by an unrestricted grant from the Coca-Cola Company. The authors disclosed this funding and other potential competing interests when submitting to the journal, in line with our policy (http://www.plosone.org/st...), and this was highlighted to the Academic Editor by PLOS staff. PLOS editors are aware that industry funding, including from the food and beverage industry, can affect the conduct and reporting of research, e.g. see http://www.ploscollection.... The article was reviewed in detail by well-qualified researchers who were made aware of the potential competing interests, and the article underwent major revisions before being accepted.

This research does not negate the link between soda consumption and obesity. Under-reporting of dietary intake has long been known to be a major problem with self-reported data, particularly among obese individuals. Self-reported dietary intake data are of limited use and should be interpreted and reported with caution, and this article by Archer et al. underscores the need to develop better methods to measure what people are consuming.