Soda surging in daily diet
Health advocates have been saying for years that massive consumption of soda and sugary drinks is destroying the American diet and contributing to rising rates of obesity. The soft-drink industry, on the other hand, has argued that its products are only one small part of a balanced diet for the majority of people. A forthcoming study from researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University may shed new light on the debate.
Based on data collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, soft drinks and other sweetened beverages now contribute the largest number of calories among all food types in the diets of the more than two thirds of Americans who drink them. Soft drinks have replaced the traditional staple of white bread for the 67 percent of people who say they drink soda, constituting some 14 percent of total daily calories. For those who drink sweet fruit drinks or similar beverages, these make up about 11 percent of their total diets.
"It's amazing that these drinks make up this large a percentage of the diet," says Odilia Bermudez, a researcher and nutrition professor at Tufts. "When you look at the large number of foods people eat, a food that contributes 5 percent of total calories is very significant. So if soda is providing 14 percent, it's a huge amount, and it's not surprising that we found those who consume soda also have a higher body mass index."
The good news: People who said they often drank 100 percent orange juice, low-fat milk, and, of course, water, had a lower prevalence of overweight.
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