The
case against swigging soda just got stronger. A review of 88 studies finds
strong evidence to reduce population consumption of soft drinks This supported
evidence becomes available, while the American Beverage Association says the
U.S. obesity problem can’t be linked to any one food product
or beverage.The case against swigging soda just got stronger. A large systematic
review reveals clear associations between consumption of nondiet soft drinks
and increased calorie intake and body weight.
Full-calorie soft drinks are also linked with reduced intake of milk and fruit
and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. “Recommendations to reduce population
soft drink consumption are strongly supported by the available science,” concludes
the review of 88 studies.
The American Beverage Association, however, presents a different view on its
Web site. “It is not feasible to blame any one food product or beverage
as being a sole contributor to obesity …. No science supports such a
claim.”
Carbonated soft drinks are the single largest source of calories in the American
diet, according to a 2005 report called “Liquid Candy,” produced
by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Companies
annually manufacture enough soda pop to provide more than 52 gallons to every
man, woman and child in the United States.
“Nobody claims there is a single cause to the obesity problem, but the
existing science certainly puts soft drinks in the list of leading contributors,” said
review co-author Kelly Brownell, Ph.D. He is director of the Rudd Center for
Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.
“These conditions now exist, and several clear conclusions are apparent,” they
say. One of the most “powerful” findings is the link between soft
drink intake and increased calorie consumption.
Of 21 studies, 19 showed that as people drink more soda pop, the number of
calories they consume rises. Moreover, the studies using the most reliable
statistical methods showed the largest effects.
Instead of satisfying a sweet tooth, soft drinks may do just the opposite.
Several studies found that the caloric increase is actually greater than that
contained in the soda, raising “the possibility that soft drinks increase
hunger, decrease satiety or simply calibrate people to a high level of sweetness
that generalizes to preferences in other foods,” the authors say.
“These results, taken together, provide clear and consistent evidence
that people do not compensate for the added calories they consume in soft drinks
by reducing their intake of other foods,” the reviewers say.
The authors anticipated a weaker relationship between soft drink consumption
and body weight, because there are many other calorie sources in the diet.
Yet in the highest-quality studies, which controlled for a number of unrelated
variables, a moderate relationship existed. The review also showed a slight
correlation between soft drink consumption and lower intakes of milk, calcium,
fruit and fiber.
The “most striking link” was between soft drink consumption and
the incidence of type 2 diabetes, according to the reviewers. In a study of
91,249 women followed for eight years, those who consumed one or more soft
drinks per day were twice as likely as those who consumed less than one per
month to develop diabetes
“This result alone warrants serious concern about soft drink intake,
particularly in light of the unprecedented rise in type 2 diabetes among children,” the
review says.
CSPI, on the other hand, is satisfied with the research to date. “There’s
so much damning evidence,” says Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., executive
director. “This is just sugar water. The real need is for laws and regulations
that would help rein in soft drink consumption.”
The consumer advocacy group calls for clearly presented calorie information
at vending machines, convenience stores and restaurants. The group urges schools
to stop selling full-calorie soft drinks. CSPI has also petitioned the federal
government to require health notices on all nondiet sodas warning that they
may promote obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, osteoporosis and other health problems.
Vartanian LR, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. Effects of soft drink consumption
on nutrition and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Public
Health 97(4), 2007. The systematic review appears in the April issue of the
American Journal of Public Health.
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