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When in need of a pick-me-up, many people choose coffee, tea, soda or an energy drink. It seems like a simple choice of taste but it’s really a decision that could have long-term consequences.
A recent Carolina-led study shows that drinking soda contributes to obesity — already a public health problem that is getting worse. For instance, 25 million children and teenagers are considered obese. That’s one-third of all kids.
The study was led by Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition in the schools of public health and medicine, and the director of the Interdisciplinary Obesity Program.
American adults consume an estimated 21 percent of their daily calories from beverages — twice as much as the 10 percent recommended by the World Health Organization. The Beverage Guidance Panel, which Popkin initiated, wants to reverse that trend and help people understand how to choose healthy beverages as part of a balanced nutritional diet. The group has developed the first Healthy Beverage Guidelines.
“Many people either forget or don’t realize how many extra calories they consume in what they drink, yet beverages are a major contributor to the alarming increase in obesity,” Popkin said.
The group recommends that people drink more water and limit or eliminate high-calorie beverages with little or no nutrition value. Panel members have grouped beverages into six categories, and recommend how much from each category people should drink daily. Water is by far the best liquid people can consume. The group recommends at least four servings (32 ounces total) for women, and at least six servings for men daily. All beverage needs, the group says, could come from water.
But many people like things that taste. Here are some choices with guidelines from the group: Up to eight servings of unsweetened tea are recommended; up to four servings of coffee; up to two servings of nonfat or 1-percent fat milk and fortified soy beverages; up to four servings of diet beverages with sugar substitutes; up to one serving of 100-percent fruit and vegetable juices, whole milk or sports drinks; up to one serving of calorically sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks without nutrients, unless you are trying to lose weight. Then none is recommended.
“Some of these beverages, like nonfat milk, provide essential nutrients,” Popkin said. “People, especially children and adolescents, should drink the recommended amounts every day.”
The study also includes non-caloric related benefits and risks of beverages such as coffee, of which too much can raise blood pressure and homocysteine levels — both linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
The study does not mention the controversial aspartame, which is typically known by its brand name NutraSweet — the sweetener in many diet sodas. But the panel found that diet soda is so sweet that people often wind up preferring sweet food and drinks, which can be harmful for many reasons.
Provided by Research and Economic Development.
Editor: Neil Caudle
Writer: Mark Derewicz