Beverage Industry Says CDC’s Sugar Consumption Report Proves “Soft Drinks Are Not Main Cause of Childhood Obesity”

March 1 2012 --- The American Beverage Association has issued a statement in response to a study on "consumption of added sugar among U.S. children and adolescents, 2005-2008."

The ABA issued a statement saying that: "This CDC data brief makes two things clear beverages do not uniquely contribute to obesity, and they are not the leading source of added sugar calories in the diet of American children and adolescents." 

 

The recently published study by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had the following main conclusions:

• Non-Hispanic white children and adolescents consume a larger percent of their calories from added sugars than do Mexican-American children and adolescents.

• There was no difference in consumption of added sugars by income among children and adolescents.

• More added sugars calories came from foods rather than beverages.

• More added sugars calories were consumed at home rather than away from home.

The CDC said that consumption of added sugars, which are sweeteners, added to processed and prepared foods, has been associated with measures of cardiovascular disease risk among adolescents, including adverse cholesterol concentrations.

 

They say that although the percent of daily calories derived from added sugars declined between 1999–2000 and 2007–2008, consumption of added sugars remains high in the diets of Americans. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting total intake of discretionary calories, which include added sugars and solid fats, to 5%–15% of daily caloric intake, yet many Americans continue to exceed these recommendations. This data brief presents results for added sugar consumption among U.S. children and adolescents for 2005–2008.

 

Approximately 16% of children and adolescents' total caloric intakes came from added sugars. Boys consumed more added sugars than girls. Preschool-aged children consumed the fewest calories from added sugars. Although girls consumed a smaller absolute amount of calories from added sugars than boys, their intakes were not that different from boys when the amounts are expressed as a percentage of total caloric intakes.

 

In response to the findings the American Beverage Association issued the following statement "Our industry provides consumers with more choices, smaller portions and fewer calories than ever before. In fact, the development of more low- and no-calorie beverages has helped drive a 23 percent reduction in the average calories per serving since 1998. And while beverage calories continued to decline during that time, obesity rates continued to climb according to CDC."

 

“Calories from sugar-sweetened beverages-including soft drinks, juice drinks, flavored waters and other beverages-make up only 7 percent of the calories in the American diet according to a National Cancer Institute analysis of government data submitted to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. That means that 93 percent of our calories come from other sources.”