Teen Girls Sip More Soda as They Age
As teenage girls age, they drink less milk and more soda, which translates into lower intakes of calcium and higher body-mass indexes, say researchers in The Journal of Pediatrics.
Soda consumption among teens has been a concern of nutrition experts for years, with excess soft drink intake linked to increased risk for dental decay and weight gain, among other health problems.
Now, in a new study, researchers followed 2,371 girls who kept food diaries from age nine or 10 through age 19.
The findings mirror those of other studies, but what is new is the length of time the girls were tracked.
"We have 10 years of details," says study co-author Douglas Thompson, Ph.D., a senior statistician at the Maryland Medical Research Institute.
As participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Growth Health Study, the girls turned in food diaries during annual visits.
Over the years, the researchers looked at three-day food records and evaluated them. Participants noted, among other information, their intake of milk, regular soda, diet soda, fruit juice, fruit-flavored drinks, and coffee/tea.
Milk consumption decreased by more than 25 percent during the course of the study, while soda intake nearly tripled, becoming the number one beverage consumed by the older girls.
Because beverage habits have been associated with characteristics such as age and race, the researchers looked separately at Caucasian and African-American teens.
The consumption of regular soda among Caucasian girls rose from about 4.7 ounces a day at age nine to 13.2 ounces daily by age 18.
Among African-American girls, regular soda consumption was 4 ounces daily at age nine, and rose to 11.8 ounces by age 18.
Milk consumption among Caucasian girls was 12.3 ounces daily at age nine but only 8.4 ounces at age 18.
African-American girls averaged 8.5 ounces of milk a day at age nine, but just 5 ounces by age 18.
The more soda girls drank, the lower their calcium intake and the higher their body-mass index (BMI), the researchers found.
"The nutrient impacts are a great concern," Dr. Thompson says, referring to the calcium intake finding. "A girl who drank 200 grams [about 8 ounces] a day decreased calcium intake by 7 milligrams, compared to one who drank only 100 grams [4 ounces]."
Advice for parents? Give your daughter more milk, and fewer other beverages.
"The beverages associated with poor nutrient profiles were regular sodas, fruit-flavored drinks, coffee, and teas," notes Dr. Thompson.
"Girls who drank more of those - regular soda, fruit-flavored drinks [not fruit juice], coffee, and teas - take in more calories generally, have more sugars and less calcium in their diets," he adds.
Moderation of soda is key, says Lona Sandon, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and an assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas.
"Whether drinking sugary sodas or fruit juices causes weight gain or not, the bigger issue is overall diet quality," she says. "
According to the American Dietetic Association position statement on [the] use of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners, diet quality suffers when intake of these beverages reaches 25 percent of total calories or above.
"It is pretty clear that as intake of sugary beverages increases, the intake of beverages with higher nutritional quality decreases," notes Sandon.
"Replacing milk with sodas or fruit drinks means less protein needed for growth and healthy immune systems, less calcium for strong bones for the future, less potassium, less vitamin D and other nutrients needed for optimal health."
"Sweetened beverages providing calories without nutrition should be consumed with caution," she adds. "An adolescent eating a diet that meets the dietary guidelines for Americans and nutrients needed for growth and development can safely enjoy a sugary drink occasionally."
By occasionally, Sandon says she meant no more than three to four times a week.
In an accompanying editorial, national nutrition expert Dr. William Dietz supports this suggestion: "Because milk provides an important source of calcium in the diets of children and adolescents, the decline in girls' milk consumption at a time when bone mineral deposition may predispose to eventual osteoporosis is a major concern."
Always consult your physician for more information.
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Obesity is a chronic disease affecting increasing numbers of children and adolescents as well as adults.
Obesity rates among children in the US have doubled since 1980 and have tripled for adolescents. Fifteen percent of children aged six to 19 are considered overweight compared to over 60 percent of adults who are considered overweight or obese.
Earlier onset of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity-related depression in children and adolescents is being seen by healthcare professionals.
The longer a person is obese, the more significant obesity-related risk factors become. Given the chronic diseases and conditions associated with obesity and the fact that obesity is difficult to treat, prevention is extremely important.
A primary reason that prevention of obesity is so vital in children is because the likelihood of childhood obesity persisting into adulthood is thought to increase from about 20 percent at four years of age to 80 percent by adolescence.
Young people generally become overweight or obese because they do not get enough physical activity in combination with poor eating habits.
Genetics and lifestyle also contribute to a child’s weight status.
Recommendations for prevention of overweight and obesity during childhood and adolescence include:
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Gradually work to change family eating habits and activity levels rather than focusing on a child’s weight.
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Be a role model. Parents who eat healthy foods and participate in physical activity set an example so that a child is more likely to do the same.
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Encourage physical activity. Children should have 60 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week. More than 60 minutes of activity may promote weight loss and subsequent maintenance.
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Reduce “screen” time in front of the television and computer to less than two hours daily.
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Encourage children to eat when hungry and to eat slowly.
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Avoid using food as a reward or withholding food as a punishment.
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Keep the refrigerator stocked with fat-free or low-fat milk, fresh fruit, and vegetables instead of soft drinks and snacks high in sugar and fat.
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Serve at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
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Encourage children to drink water rather than beverages with added sugar, such as soft drinks, sports drinks, and fruit juice drinks.
Always consult your physician for more information.
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