The researchers also found that the odds of becoming obese increased 1.6 times for each additional can or glass of sugar-sweetened soft drink consumed above the daily average. According to government and other studies, soft drinks are currently the leading source of added sugars in the daily diet of young Americans. Adolescent women average 36.2 grams of sugar per day from soft drinks and adolescent men average 57.7 grams per day. Between 1989 and 1995 the average daily amount of sugar-sweetened soft drinks consumed by adolescent males rose from 11.7 ounces per day to 19.3 ounces per day. These drinks may be easy to over-consume, because calories in liquid form seem to be less satiating, or less filling, than calories in solid form.
Childhood obesity can lead to adult obesity and chronic health problems.
Families need to be aware of the access their children have to these products both at home and at school and the effects these sugar-sweetened beverages can have on their child's health. Sugar-sweetened beverages monitored in the study included soda, Hawaiian Punch, lemonade, Koolaid or other sweetened fruit drinks as well as iced tea. The study involved 548 sixth and seventh graders from public schools in four Massachusetts communities over a 21-month span between the fall of 1995 and spring of 1997. The research was supported by grants from the National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Charles H. Hood Foundation. More than 300 faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 800-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations around the world.