NEW YORK, Apr 9, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- There is growing evidence that
consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is an important contributor to rising
U.S. youth obesity rates, U.S. researchers said.
Lead author Dr. Y. Claire Wang of Columbia University Mailman School of Public
Health in New York said replacing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages with
water could eliminate an average of 235 excess calories per day among children
and adolescents.
The study, published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, concluded
that such a replacement would be a simple and effective way to reduce excess
intake of calories causing childhood overweight and obesity, and could address
dental cavities and other health problems associated with added sugar.
"The evidence is now clear that replacing these 'liquid calories' with
calorie-free beverage alternatives both at home and in schools represents a key
strategy to eliminate excess calories and prevent childhood obesity," Wang said
in a statement.
Wang and colleagues analyzed what children and teens reported they ate and drank
on two different days, using nationally representative data from the 2003-2004
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Almost 90 percent of U.S. children and adolescents currently consume
sugar-sweetened beverages on any given day -- including soda, fruit drinks,
punches, sports drinks and sweetened tea. The calories contained in these drinks
can represent more than 10 percent of their total daily intake, Yang added.
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