Sugary Drinks And Obesity In Children: New Study Reveals Preschoolers And Soda As A Problem For Weight In Their Future

Sugary drinks and obesity in children have been tied together now for preschoolers, according to a recent study at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

The  new study showed that five-year-old children who drink sugary sweetened soda, sports drinks or juices every day are more likely to be obese than those have drink in sugar-sweetened beverages less often, according to the study reported by Reuters Health.

"Even though sugar-sweetened beverages are relatively a small percentage of the calories that children take in, that additional amount of calories did contribute to more weight gain over time," Dr. Mark DeBoer told Reuters Health about the link between sugary drinks and obesity in children, who led the study.

Obesity is a common problem in the U.S. and this study might have discovered another reason that could lead to it not only at an older age, but a young age as well.

For the study, DeBoer and his colleagues surveyed the parents of a nationally-representative group of 9,600 children when the kids were two, four and five years old, according to the stud. The children were all born in 2001. Parents would record the necessary information and reported on their income and education, as well as how often children drank sugary beverages and watched TV.

The children and their mothers were weighed at each survey visit. The proportion of kids who had at least one soda, sports drink or sugar-sweetened juice drink each day ranged from 9 to 13 percent, depending on their age.

After the study concluded, they found that five-year-olds who had at least one sugary drink each day were 43 percent more likely to be obese than those who drank the beverages less frequently or not at all.

In a statement sent to Reuters Health, the American Beverage Association trade group wrote, "Overweight and obesity are caused by an imbalance between calories consumed from all foods and beverages (total diet) and calories burned (physical activity). Therefore, it is misleading to suggest that beverage consumption is uniquely responsible for weight gain among this group of children, especially at a time in their lives when they would normally gain weight and grow."