Anti-Sugar PSA Makes Man Want a Soda

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A public service announcement warning against excessive sugar consumption apparently backfired Sunday, causing one man to crave a sugary soda.

Jules Verne, 44, watched the 15-second spot while channel surfing in his Waco, Texas, home. Verne, a runner, had just returned from a 10-miler and didn’t realize how thirsty he was until he saw a bottle of cola onscreen behind a pile of sugar cubes.

“A 20-ounce bottle of soda contains 65 grams of sugar,” a woman’s voice said. “That’s about twice as much as the average adult should consume in an entire day.”

“Man,” Verne said, focusing like a laser on the bottle of carbonated, caramel-colored soft drink. “That looks so good.”

The PSA’s voiceover continued, warning that research has linked excessive added sugar intake to everything from obesity and diabetes to heart disease.

By that time, however, Verne was on his way to the kitchen in search of a Coke. Witnesses told Dumb Runner that he quietly sang “Sugar, Sugar,” the 1969 pop song by the Archies, en route.

“What I like about sugar is how sweet it is,” he told Dumb Runner later in an interview. “It really tastes good. Especially in the form of an ice-cold soft drink, and especially after a hot run.”

“You know how the bottle, after a while, starts beading with sweat?” he said. “And then you sort of wipe the bottle across your forehead to cool off, and then you take a long sip of that chilled sweetness?”

“Oh my God. So refreshing.”

Verne added that he’s never tried ingesting sugar in cube form, but after seeing the PSA he might give it a try.