According to health experts half of Americans drink a soda or sugary beverage each day. One in 20 people drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day. This is in spite of the health officials’ recommendation to limit sweetened beverages to less than half a can.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the figures Wednesday in a report said to be the governments first to offer national statistics for both adults and kids. The report suggests that these drinks have been linked to the U.S. explosion in obesity and related medical problems, and health officials have been urging people to cut back for years. Some officials have proposed an extra soda tax and many schools have stopped selling soda or artificial juices.
These efforts do not seem to be adequate say advocates. The effort includes the American Heart Association and the some city health departments who plan to prod companies to stop the sale of sugary drinks on their property or providing them at business meetings. There will also be new media campaigns, like one starting soon in Los Angeles that will ask “If you wouldn't eat 22 packs of sugar, why are you drinking it?”
The report notes that men consumed more than women with teenage boys leading the pack. On average, males ages 12 through 19 drink the equivalent of nearly two cans of soda each day. Also the socioeconomically disadvantaged drink more than the affluent. Low-income adults got about 9 percent of their daily calories from sugary beverages; for high-income adults it was just over 4 percent. Blacks get more of their calories from sweetened beverages than other racial and ethnic groups.
The survey involved interviewing more than 17,000 people in the years 2005 through 2008. They were asked to recount everything they ate and drank in the previous day. However, diet sodas, sweetened teas, flavored milks and 100 percent fruit juice did not count.
There have been efforts to reduce children's access to sodas and sports drinks in schools, with beverage companies agreeing to remove full-calorie soft drinks. But the CDC study found more than half of the drinks are consumed at home. Less than 1 percent are bought at schools or day-care centers.
That's why some members of the coalition argue that parents shouldn't drink sweetened beverages, so they don't serve as a poor example at home. They hope drinking soda will become as unfashionable as smoking.
The results didn't surprise Cheri Collier, manager of nutrition services for Metrohealth's Community Health Centers. “We notice that sugary beverages have almost become a staple for low income families,” Collier said. “They will use a food stamp card to pay for them -- though their income is limited, it's one of the things they can purchase cheaply.” Collier has counseled patients, many of whom have chronic conditions such as diabetes; she talks to children who are obese and whose teeth have a lot of cavities.
About 25.8 million Americans have diabetes, or about 8 percent of the population. More than 191 million Americans, or about two-thirds, are overweight or obese. To put it another way, 34 percent of adults in U.S. who are age 20 years and over are obese; another 34 percent of adults age 20 years and over are overweight, but not obese.
Lisa Cimperman, a registered dietitian for University Hospitals Case Medical Center, said many people consume too many calories each day anyway, “so they don't have calories to spend on non-nutritive food. Plus liquid calories don't make them feel full – if you eat 500 calories that has more of an effect on satiety than drinking 500 calories.” She said she is not sure what can be done to close the education gap. “What might seems common sense to one person, isn't to another – we need to close the gap between various socioeconomic statuses when it comes to this information,” she said.
In a statement, the American Beverage Association on Wednesday suggested that the coalition's effort was misguided. Citing sales data and some other research, the industry group said sales of full-calorie soft drinks have been declining, which they credited to soda makers offering more no-calorie and low-calorie options and improved calorie labeling on the front. These initiatives “will contribute far more to solving complex health issues like obesity than (the coalition's) sound bite solution that offers plenty of hype but no substance,” the statement said.
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