Study urges
cutback in soda
Soft drinks a
likely culprit
in weight gain,
analysis says
By JOHN FAUBER
Wisconsin
Journal
Sentinel,
Aug. 9, 2006
The role of soda
in America's
bulging
waistline has
been hotly
debated, but a
new analysis
says that it has
been an
increasing
source of
calories for
children and
adults, a trend
that likely has
led to weight
gain and
obesity.
While providing
little
nutrition, soda
most likely has
increased the
risk of
diabetes,
fractures and
cavities,
according to a
review article
in the August
issue of the
American Journal
of Clinical
Nutrition.
The typical
12-ounce soda
has 150 calories
and the
equivalent of 10
teaspoons of
sugar, mostly in
the form of
high-fructose
corn syrup, the
article said.
Drinking one
soda a day can
lead to a
one-year weight
gain of 15
pounds.
"Consumption of
sugar-sweetened
beverages such
as soda and
fruit drinks
should be
discouraged and
efforts to
promote the
consumption of
other beverages
such as water,
low-fat milk and
small quantities
of fruit juice
should be made a
priority," the
author wrote.
While the
findings in the
article might be
viewed as common
sense, it has
been difficult
to prove in
individual
studies that
soft drinks are
a major factor
in obesity and
weight gain,
said Frank Hu,
the review's
senior author.
Other factors
such as a
reduction in
physical
activity over
the years also
are likely to
play a role,
said Hu, a
professor of
nutrition and
epidemiology at
Harvard School
of Public
Health.
"I think the
controversy will
continue, but I
don't think we
should wait for
the perfect
study," he said.
"We have
sufficient
evidence to take
action."
That action
might include
removing soda
and other
vending machines
from schools,
reducing soft
drink
consumption at
home and
limiting
marketing and
advertising of
soft drinks to
children, he
said.
What about fruit
juice?
Shailesh Patel,
professor and
chief of
endocrinology at
the Medical
College of
Wisconsin, would
take it even one
step further,
telling people
to avoid not
just soda, but
fruit drinks and
juices as well.
"Eat fruit;
never drink it,"
said Patel, who
practices at
Froedtert
Memorial
Lutheran
Hospital in
Wauwatosa.
"There is no
such thing as a
healthy fruit
juice, even
orange juice. If
you want vitamin
C, eat the
fruit."
Patel said the
easily
digestible
liquid
carbohydrates in
juice provide
calories without
filling a person
up and without
activating the
normal hormonal
mechanisms that
let him or her
know when to
stop eating.
"You are
actually
cheating
physiology that
has evolved," he
said.
In addition,
soft drinks and
juices raise
triglycerides,
an unhealthy
type of fat in
the blood, which
in turn lower
HDL cholesterol
(the good kind),
he said. Low HDL
cholesterol
increases the
risk of heart
disease.
Many of Patel's
patients with
elevated
triglycerides
can get their
numbers back to
normal by
cutting out soft
drinks and
juices, Patel
said.
Dan McCarty, an
epidemiologist
at the
Marshfield
Clinic, said he
would not tell
people to
eliminate fruit
juice, but it is
a good idea to
limit
consumption.
"It's better
than soda if
it's real 100
percent fruit
juice because it
does contain
vitamins," he
said.
On the other
hand, eating
fruit is better
than drinking
fruit juice
because of the
fiber and its
ability to be
more filling, he
said.
McCarty said
that for people
who are trying
to lose weight,
one of the first
and most
effective
measures they
can take is to
cut out soft
drinks.
Article reviews
years of studies
The article, by
researchers at
the Harvard
School of Public
Health, reviewed
30 studies
published
between 1966 and
May 2005.
America's sweet
tooth has gotten
so voracious
that nearly 16%
of calories in
the typical diet
now come from
added sugar, and
about half of
that comes in
the form of soda
and other
sweetened soft
drinks,
according to the
article.
Soda is
especially
fattening
because the low
satiety of
liquid
carbohydrates
does not result
in an equivalent
reduction in
eating at meals,
the article
said.
The review also
questions the
role of
high-fructose
corn syrup,
which is used to
sweeten soft
drinks in the
United States,
while sucrose is
used in Europe.
It may increase
the risk for
diabetes.
Although the two
sweeteners
contain the same
amount of
calories,
chemical
differences have
led some to
theorize that
fructose may
cause greater
weight gain and
insulin
resistance by
elevating
triglycerides.
In theory,
fructose could
cause a greater
decrease in
insulin
production, as
well as affect
levels of the
hormone leptin,
which is
involved in
appetite
suppression.
The authors say
more study is
needed to
determine if
high-fructose
corn syrup
causes more
weight gain or a
greater diabetes
risk than other
types of sugars.
The review was
funded by the
American Heart
Association and
the National
Institutes of
Health.
To read the
report, go to
www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/84/2/274.
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