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20 September 2004
Soft Drink Guzzling Hits New Heights 
A quick solution to the obesity epidemic could be to cut the volume of sweetened soft drinks Americans are consuming, authors of a new study say. The study, conducted at the University of North Carolina and appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Health, showed that energy intake from such drinks in the U.S. increased 135% between about 1977 and 2001. Over the same period, energy intake from milk - a far more nutritious beverage - dropped 38 percent. "There has been considerable controversy about the promotion of soft drinks in schools and elsewhere," said researcher Dr. Barry M. Popkin. "Extensive research on all age groups has shown that consuming these soft drinks and fruit drinks increases weight gain in children and adults." Another study even showed a link between high consumption of sweet beverages and a greatly increased risk of diabetes, he said. "Our new study highlights the fact that Americans in 2001 consumed more energy from sugared beverages in larger portions and more servings per day than in 1977," Popkin said. "The increases in soft drinks noted in the past continue unabated into the new millennium. The decreased intake of milk is possibly related to this change in energy intake from beverages and is a negative trend because of the deficient calcium intake of Americans." Between 1977 and 2001, the study discovered that: Total energy derived from soft drinks each day rose on average from 2.8 percent to 7 percent, nearly a tripling of calories. Energy intake from fruit drinks per person grew from 1.1 percent to 2.2 percent. Milk supplied 5 percent of energy for all age groups, down from 8 percent over the period. "The largest drop in milk consumption, from 13.2 percent of total energy to 8.3 percent, occurred in 2- to 18-year-olds," Popkin said. Young adults ages 19 to 39 drank the most soft drinks, increasing their intake from 4.1 percent to 9.8 percent of total daily calorie consumption during the period, he said. Servings of sweetened beverages increased for every age group, while servings of milk decreased for all. A limitation of the study is that people who are overweight are more likely to under-report how much they eat and drink, he said. "Due to increases in under-reporting, it is likely that the current estimates of beverage consumption were too low and that sweet beverages played a larger role in Americans' diets," Popkin said. "Little research has focused on the beneficial impacts of reduced soft drink and fruit drink intake. This would seem to be one of the simpler ways to reduce obesity in the United States."
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