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Soft Drinks: Fueling the Obesity Epidemic?

Date: Sunday, March 05, 2006

Source: http://www.aso.org.uk

Beverage consumption patterns have changed dramatically over the past three decades. Among all age groups in the U.S., sweetened beverage consumption has increased and milk consumption has decreased. Between 1977 and 2001 energy intake from sweetened beverages increased 135% and was reduced by 38% from milk, with a resultant 278 total kilocalorie increase. At the same time, Americans consumed larger portions and more servings per day of sweetened beverages.

These changes have meaningful impacts on diet quality and have been implicated as a causal factor in the obesity epidemic. Excessive sweetened drink consumption (>12 oz/day) is associated with lower protein, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin A intakes as well as higher energy intakes.

Obese children and adults consume a greater proportion of their total energy intakes from soft drinks in comparison with their lean counterparts. Consumption of sweetened beverages is related to weight gain in children as well as young and middle-aged women.

A school-based nutrition program aimed at reducing consumption of soft drinks prevented excessive weight gain among English school children. Suggested solutions aimed at reducing soft drink intakes include reduced portion cans, expanded nutrition labels that reflect the total kilocalorie content of a single-serve portion, low sugar beverages, restricting sales in schools as well as a tax on the sale of soft drinks.

Rachel K Johnson, PhD, MPH, RD, Dean and Professor of Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.

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