Sodas may not sport the obvious dangers (or the kick) that a liter of scotch or a kilo of cocaine represent, but health advocates, researchers, nutritionists and, increasingly, government officials are speaking out ever-louder about the perils of consuming too many of these sugary soft drinks.

New York City has barred the sale of large-size sodas in restaurants and concession stands. Banned in Boston are full-calorie sodas and soda advertising in city buildings. And it was front-page news when it was learned Chicago and San Antonio will get some of the nation’s first soda machines featuring calorie-count listings as part of an effort to win a $5 million grant from a national beverage lobbying group to reward city workers for living more healthily.

“The point about sodas is they are an easy target for public health intervention,” said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist, New York University professor and influential author of What to Eat. “All they are is sugar and calories. There’s no redeeming feature. The last thing Americans need is extra calories.”

Nor, soda’s opponents add, do Americans need increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay and other problems.

“People need to step back and look at their health,” said Michelle Dudash, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based registered dietitian, author and nutritionist. “If you’re overweight, cut back on the soda. “If you have weak tooth enamel, cut back on the soda. If you have a risk of heart disease, cut back on the soda.”

Wrapping all these concerns up into one brand-new animated short film is the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the nonprofit health advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. The film “takes back” the polar bear, one of the most popular figures ever used in soft drink advertising, to illustrate what too much soda drinking might lead to.

The Real Bears follows a cartoon polar bear family swilling soda as they huff and puff across the ice cap as a catchy tune by Jason Mraz plays in the background. It quickly becomes clear the family is having trouble getting around. Little Boy Bear is too fat to catch a fish through a hole in the ice, while his sister loses a tooth to soda-induced decay. Papa Bear suffers from obesity, which leads to diabetes, which leads to impotence. Only after Papa’s leg is lopped off (you might want to watch the film first before sharing with the kiddies) does the polar bear family wake up and pour their sodas into the sea.

“This is the unhappy truth about soda. It wasn’t so bad when soft drinks were the occasional treat,” reads a statement at the film’s website (therealbears.org). “But now sugary drinks are the No. 1 source of calories in the American diet.”

Here’s are some of the things top nutritionists and dietitians want you to think about next time you’re thirsty and reaching for yet another soda or sweet drink:

Swear off the sugar, not the bubbles

“Soda is not the only culprit,” said Andrea Giancoli, a dietitian based in Hermosa Beach, Calif., who is a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Watch out, she said, for fruit drinks, bottled ice teas, energy drinks. Some of these drinks can have as much sugar — or more — than soda, she said. Read the labels.