A study from the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University’s School of Public Health has concluded that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) may reduce fertility in both males and females. Elizabeth E. Hatch, et al., “Intake of Sugar-sweetened Beverages and Fecundability in a North American Preconception Cohort,” Epidemiology. Researchers studied 3,828 women and 1,045 of their male partners for up to 12 menstrual cycles in the four-year study. Women who drank at least one SSB per day reportedly had a 25 percent lower monthly probability of conception, while men who drank at least one SSB per day reportedly showed a 33 percent lower probability of successful conception. The study did not purport to find an association between lowered fertility and the consumption of diet sodas or fruit juices.
Tag Archives SSBs
A new study has suggested that sugar-sweetened beverages may raise the risk of gout in women. Hyon Choi, et al., “Fructose-Rich Beverages and Risk of Gout in Women,” The Journal of the American Medical Association, November 10, 2010. Boston University and Harvard researchers examined data on nearly 79,000 U.S. women with no history of gout who participated in the 22-year Nurses’ Health Study. Compared to women who drank less than one serving of sugary beverages or orange juice per month, the study found that women who drank (i) one serving of sweetened soft drink per day had a 74 percent increased risk of gout, (ii) at least two servings of sweetened soft drinks per day had more than double the risk of gout; (iii) one serving of orange juice per day were 41 percent more likely to develop gout; and (iv) two or more glasses of orange juice per day had…
A new study reportedly claims that young people mistakenly view sugar-sweetened sports beverages as healthy alternatives to soft drinks. Nalini Ranjit, et al., “Dietary and Activity Correlates of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among Adolescents,” Pediatrics, September 27, 2010. University of Texas School of Public Health researchers surveyed 15,283 middle- and high-school students to determine the correlation between consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and flavored and sports beverages (FSBs) to diet and physical activity. According to the study, researchers discovered that more than 60 percent of boys and more than 50 percent of girls drank at least one soda, sports drink or other sweetened beverage like fruit punch each day, which could lead to yearly weight gain. Students active in sports and other physical activities consumed more sports drinks while those who led more sedentary lifestyles drank more soda. “The most likely explanation for these findings is that FSBs have been successfully marketed as…
The Florida Board of Education is reportedly considering a ban on chocolate milk and sugary beverages in the state’s public schools. Board members evidently tabled the issue last spring in anticipation of federal government action, but recently decided to move forward to hear opinions from physicians and researchers on whether such a ban would improve children’s health. Hearings will be held over the next two months, with possible legislation coming in December. “When you think about it, we probably have a million overweight or obese children in our schools,” board member John Padget was quoted as saying. “I think the clock is ticking in terms of personal health.” Board member Susan Story reportedly wants the board to consider a possible ban on other foods sold in schools, including chips and ice cream. “To me, it’s a bigger issue that needs to be looked at and not a chocolate milk-versus-white milk…
Boston city officials are reportedly considering a move to prohibit or restrict sugar-sweetened beverages sold on city-owned property as a way of combating obesity. The city, which has already prohibited smoking in restaurants and bars and trans fat in fast food restaurants and bakeries, recently convened health, education and housing leaders to develop a policy to reduce sugary beverage consumption. While such a policy has yet to be officially drafted, Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, told a news source that such a move seemed inevitable based on the city’s earlier promise to fight obesity by decreasing sweetened soda consumption through “counter-advertising and policy change.” Ferrer was quoted as saying that she expects public resistance to the potential ban because people view soft drinks differently from tobacco. “I think we’re going to run into a big issue of people saying, ‘Why would you take away our…
The Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has released a fall 2010 paper highlighting obesity prevention policies with “the potential for the greatest impact.” The center’s recommendations relate to preschools and schools, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, marketing to children, weight bias, food deserts, and ongoing surveillance of these efforts. Among other guidelines, the paper urges legislators, regulators and other public health officials to (i) prohibit the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages and whole milk in preschools; (ii) restrict school sales of competitive foods to those which meet standards set by the Institute of Medicine, as opposed to the federal government; (iii) raise the cost of sugar-sweetened beverages by 10 to 20 percent; (iv) remove materials with branded foods from schools, preschools and all government properties frequented by children; and (v) require children’s meals to meet nutritional standards if they include incentives. According to the Rudd Center, “All of these strategies…
A recent study has reportedly linked a 35 percent tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to a 26-percent reduction in sales over a four-week period. Jason Block, et al., “Point-of-Purchase and Education Intervention to Reduce Consumption of Sugary Soft Drinks,” American Journal of Public Health, June 2010. Harvard University researchers apparently imposed the equivalent of a penny-per-ounce tax on all sodas and sweetened beverages sold in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital cafeteria. They also examined the effects of a stand-alone health education campaign and one implemented in conjunction with the 45-cent tax. Their findings allegedly demonstrated that as the cost for sugar-sweetened beverages rose, (i) demand for these beverages declined; (ii) sales of coffee and diet soda increased; and (iii) consumers did not replace sugar-sweetened beverages with juices or other sugary snacks, “such as cakes and cookies.” When combined with the educational program, the tax resulted in an extra “18 percent decline…
Mexican health officials have reportedly unveiled stringent guidelines that would prohibit the sale of processed or fried foods on school grounds. According to media sources, the regulations would ban soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages along with more traditional fare such as meat tortas, tamarind candy and atole, unless they were reformulated to meet nutritional guidelines. The school vendors and cooperatives that often function in lieu of cafeterias would be limited to serving low-calorie food and beverages such as bottled water, low-fat milk and 100 percent fruit juices. Meanwhile, Secretary of Public Education Alonso Lujambio has also pledged to incentivize healthier fare at the food stalls outside schools at closing time. If approved by the Federal Regulatory Improvement Commission, the rules will take effect for 220,000 public and private schools in August 2010. See The Guardian, Secretaría de Salud Press Release and The Associated Press, May 27, 2010.
According to news sources, both Philadelphia and the District of Columbia have failed to adopt taxes on sweetened beverages. Philadelphia’s mayor apparently never had a council majority to support his proposed soda tax and has now indicated that he will be forced to make cuts to police and fire department budgets and limit branch libraries to four-day weeks. A council member known as a leading administration critic reportedly characterized the mayor’s threat as “retribution.” In a related development, the D.C. Council has informally disapproved a proposal that would have taxed sweetened beverages sold in the district at one penny per ounce. The council member who proposed the tax wanted to use the revenue to fund a healthy school initiative that council has approved because the city’s financial officer has apparently indicated that funds are not available to implement it. The initiative reportedly requires schools to serve healthier food to address the…
“Don’t you love the idea of year-old infants drinking sugar-sweetened chocolate milk? And laced with ‘omega-3s for brain development, 25 nutrients for healthy growth, and prebiotics to support the immune system’?,” opines New York University Professor Marion Nestle in an April 26, 2010, Food Politics blog post decrying chocolate dietary supplements for toddlers ages 12 to 36 months. Claiming that consumers are paying 86 cents “for only six ounces of unnecessarily fortified milk plus unnecessary sugar and chocolate,” Nestle implies that chocolate- and vanilla-flavored formulas directly compete with milk as a weaning food. She also urges the Food and Drug Administration to issue warning letters to manufacturers whose products feature “front-of-package health claims clearly aimed at babies” younger than age 2. “No wonder Jamie Oliver encountered so much grief about trying to get sweetened, flavored milks out of schools,” writes Nestle. “Next: let’s genetically modify moms to produce chocolate breast…
