Link Between Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Expanding U.S. Waistlines

Three studies published Friday September 21, 2012 in the New England Journal of Medicine represent the most rigorous effort yet to see if there is a link between sugar-sweetened beverages and expanding U.S. waistlines.

A report released this week projected that at least 44 percent of U.S. adults could be obese by 2030, compared to 35.7 percent today, bringing an extra $66 billion a year in obesity-related medical costs.

New York City adopted a regulation banning the sale of sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces at restaurants and other outlets regulated by the city health department.

Sugary drinks are in the crosshairs because from 1977 to 2002 the number of calories Americans consumed from them doubled, government data show, making them the largest single source of calories in the diet.

About a quarter of the kids stopped drinking the beverages. Among those who stuck it out for 18 months, the sugar-free kids gained less body fat, 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) less weight, and 0.36 units less BMI than the sugary-drink kids, the researchers report in the NEJM.

Why? There is good evidence that liquid sugar does not produce a feeling of fullness that other calories do. "When children substituted a sugar-free drink, their bodies did not sense the absence of calories, and they did not replace them with other food or drinks," said Katan.

Hispanic teens benefited the most: Those receiving no-cal deliveries gained 14 fewer pounds after one year and almost 20 fewer pounds after two. That raised the possibility that genetic factors influence the effect of sugary drinks.





Reuter has great article on this issue. For more information please Click Here









Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Genetic Obesity Risk
September 21, 2012 | Q. Qi and Others
(DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1203039)

Sugar-free Drinks in Normal-Weight Children
September 21, 2012 | J.C. de Ruyter
and Others | (DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1203034)

Calories from Soft Drinks — Do They Matter?
September 21, 2012 | S. Caprio
(DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe1209884)

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Adolescent Weight
September 21, 2012 | C.B. Ebbeling
and Others | (DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1203388)