SSB Consumption Allegedly Tied to Higher Caloric Intakes Among Children
A recent study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and National Institutes of Health has allegedly concluded that sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) “are primarily responsible for the higher caloric intakes” of children who consume them. Kevin Mathias, et al., “Foods and Beverages Associated with Higher Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages,” American Journal of Preventative Medicine, April 2013. Using data from 13,421 children enrolled in the What We Eat In America, NHANES 2003-2010 surveys, researchers with the University of North Carolina Department of Nutrition apparently determined “the contribution of SSBs to higher caloric intakes” by comparing the total non-SSB caloric intake of both SSB consumers and nonconsumers.
The results purportedly showed that for children ages 2 to 11, “total non-SSB intakes did not differ between nonconsumers and SSB consumers at any level of SSB consumption, indicating that SSBs were primarily responsible for the higher caloric intake among SSB consumers.” The authors also reported a similar finding for adolescents ages 12 to 18, but noted that for those who consumed more than 500 kilocalories of SSBs, “both food and SSB contributed to higher caloric intakes.” In addition, increased SSB intake among this age group was associated with higher intakes of certain foods and lower intakes of non-SSB beverages like milk and fruit juice.
“Among all age groups analyzed, the energy density of food consumed
increased as SSB intake increased. Given these findings, future research on the
effects of dietary energy density and total caloric intake should account for
these associations between total caloric intake, SSB intake, and food energy
density,” concludes the study. “Examinations of overall diets showed that only
a small number of foods and beverages were associated with SSB intake.
The largest associations were decreases in fluid milk among those aged 2-5
years and increases in intake of pizza, burgers, and fried potatoes among the
highest (≥500 kcal) SSB consumers aged 12-18 years.”
