Faced with a slowdown in soda consumption in the United States, Coke has looked abroad in recent years for much of its expansion.

It is somewhat unclear why soda consumption, particularly in the United States, seems to be edging out of its slump.

Declining soda consumption is a problem that all soda manufacturers, including PepsiCo and Cadbury Schweppes, are facing.

For them, looking through the glass of a Coke bottle, the grand events of history and politics are primarily factors affecting soda consumption.

The beverage industry took strong exception to the study, calling it flawed and pointing to other research that has found no association between soda consumption and pancreatic cancer.

From 1970 to 2001, per capita soda consumption more than doubled, while milk consumption fell by more than two-thirds.

Despite these efforts, soda consumption in Richmond schools has not diminished.

Some speculate that higher taxes could help reduce soda consumption.

In times of war and political strife in recent years, Coke sales have dipped; when stability returned, so did the soda consumption [source: Economist].

Refillable bottles will sharply curtail per-capita soda consumption.