Teens keep chugging soda despite health risks, says study

One in four high school students drink soda everyday, according to a new CDC study

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(CBS/AP) A new study says that an alarming number of teens continue to consume soda and other sugary soft drinks every day, despite the fact that such behavior may contribute to childhood obesity and diabetes.

A survey of 11,000 high school students found one in four teens drink soda every day. And when other sugary drinks like Gatorade are counted, the figure is closer to two-thirds of students drinking a sugary beverage daily.

The findings were published in the June 17 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The numbers are actually lower than previous estimates. Earlier research in the 1990s and early 2000s showed more than three-quarters of teens were drinking a sugary beverage each day. That means more teens are now drinking water, milk, and fruit juices.

"We were very pleased to see that," said the study's lead author, Nancy Bener, a health scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But one-quarter of high school students is still too high of a number, because consumption of sugary drinks is considered a major public health problem. Soda consumption has been linked to the U.S. explosion in childhood obesity, where 17 percent of Americans age 2 to 19 are obese, according to the CDC.

A study of Massachusetts schoolchildren found that for each additional sweet drink per day, the odds of obesity increased 60 percent. Many schools stopped selling soda or artificial juice to students in light of those findings, but experts think that's not enough.

"Getting them out of the schools doesn't solve the problem completely because a lot of these drinks are consumed in the home," Bener said.

And obesity is far from the only health risk soda has been linked with.

A 2010 study in the journal, "Diabetes Care," found daily soda drinkers were 25 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Also phosphoric acid, a main ingredient in soda, has been linked to bone loss in those getting more of the chemical than calcium, according to WebMD. Too much caffeine has also been associated with bone loss, in addition to insomnia, high blood pressure and headaches.

And the diet stuff isn't much better. A 2011 study found daily diet soda drinkers were at a 61 percent higher risk for stroke and heart attack, Medscape reported.

How will researchers stop this trend?

The authors said its "Critical to involve families, the media, and other institutions that interact with adolescents to increase their awareness of possible detrimental health effects and discourage their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages."

The CDC has more on healthy beverages.

[dsantibanezRD]

Sensational headlines certainly do attract readers, but it is very important to relay the fact that obesity and diabetes have many biological, environmental and behavioral factors that must be considered as a whole. As a registered dietitian, I stress to my clients that the causes of obesity and overweight are multi-factorial and include, among other things, that most Americans do not get enough physical activity or follow moderate and balanced diets. As a consultant to The Coca-Cola Company, I believe that all foods can fit into a balanced diet and are sufficient to meet our daily needs of macro- and micro-nutrients, as long as we consume them in moderate amounts. In practice, it's important to educate people on how to make choices and find ways to include their favorite foods and beverages in conjunction with getting in some daily physical activity. As the link to the CDC's webpage on healthy beverages illustrates, what we choose to drink is important and must be balanced with our lifestyles as whole. Daniel Santibanez, MPH, RD, LD/N

[DyeDiet]

While I agree with the bottomline, to be correct, I have to say that Gatorade is not sugary but rather full of controversial sugar substitutes as sucralose and acesulfame potassium. Please note, that majority of gthe sodas are artificially colored. Unfortunately coloring produces some magic psychologic effect: avarage consumeer always prefer a bright colored product as like a butterfly picks up a flower. And the food dyes only add more (toxicity) to the severety of the obesity problem. One of the solutions could be to ban the FD&C dyes similar to what British done. The natural counterparts are nor as bright and hence not that appealing to kids and their (often ignorant) parents. Who are going to buy sugary water when it is NOT brightly colored?? Think about it! I am trying to do my best providing Americans with the true information about the additives in the soft drinks and sodas at the DyeDiet.com Yes, we all are on the "dye diet"! And the amount they add was a mystery until recently. Can you imagine that even DRIED PAPAYA is loaded with 0.3 g of the Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 per container? This is a lot of chemicals, let me tell you. We need to change the American diet by wiping out the public ignorance with regard to the food additives. Read about the DyeDiet approach at http://www.dyediet.com/

[magnumdr]

No! I thought that every kid in America would quit drinking pop, are you kidding?

[angelique754]

I say study alcohol instead of soda. I have had several cousins and uncles who died because of alcohol. I have drink soda ever since 4 or 5 years old. I am now 57 and I weigh 133. Before my children were born I weighted between 100 and 120. I do have high blood pressure but I still work a 40 hour week and am taking care of my parents everyday. I drink from 4 to 8 cans a day since I don't like juices. I have friends that may drink one a day and they weight 180 to 190. While I was in school the only thing I had to eat was chips and soda for lunch since the lunches wasn't good.

[allisonburness]

Just because you're thin on the outside doesn't mean you're healthy on the inside. You're consuming 48-96 teaspoons of sugar a day just from drinking soda, so whether or not you want to stop, don't pretend it's "okay" just because it hasn't killed you yet.

[Nate650]

As allisonburness already alluded to, one can be skinny and still be in a poor state of health.

[justme2012]

OMG

Call in the socialists!!

They will have to outlaw soda and save these kids from themselves!!!

[dnamj]

Here we have a perfect example of how relying on individual responsibility and "the market" can fail, in ways that we all pay for.

[kaylag04]

You're right - we should all live in a giant cage, and politicians can throw us healthy snacks at us 3 times a day. How secure and snuggly that would feel, removing all the dangers of accountability and scarrrry responsibility.