Tc
Mon, Feb-07-05, 19:18
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=477407
Sweet Drinks Linked to Preschool Obesity Sweet Drinks, Even
Fruit Juice, Seem to Elevate Risk of Obesity Among
Preschoolers, Research Shows By CARLA K. JOHNSON Associated
Press Writer The Associated Press Feb. 7, 2005 - Sweet
drinks whether Kool-Aid with sugar or all-natural apple
juice seem to raise the risk of pudgy preschoolers getting
fatter, new research suggests. That may come as a surprise
to parents who pride themselves on seeking out fruit drinks
with no added sugar.
"Juice is definitely a part of this," said lead researcher
Jean Welsh of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While fruit juice does have vitamins, nutritionists say it's
inferior to fresh fruit. The new U.S. dietary guidelines, for
example, urge consumers away from juice, suggesting they eat
whole fruit instead.
The bottom line, though, is that "children need very few
calories in their day," Welsh said.
"Sweet drinks are a source of added sugar in the diet."
She said preschoolers were better off snacking on fruit or
drinking water or milk.
Welsh's research, published in the February issue of
Pediatrics, found that for 3- and 4-year-olds already on
the heavy side, drinking something sweet once or twice a
day doubled their risk of becoming seriously overweight a
year later.
The sweet drinks seemed to have little effect, however, on
children of normal weight.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting
preschoolers to 4 to 6 ounces of juice per day. Some parents
and schools are paying attention.
One Chicago Head Start program banned juice last year as part
of an anti-obesity effort after finding that one out of five
of its students was obese.
Monica Dillion, community health nurse for the Howard Area
Family Center, said the preschool also added more fruits and
vegetables to meals and more exercise to the daily schedule.
The preschool has never served soft drinks.
The juice ban drew no complaints, Dillion said. "The kids
didn't notice at all."
The Pediatrics study followed 10,904 Missouri children in a
nutrition program for low-income families. Researchers looked
at the effect of sweet drinks in three groups: normal and
underweight children, those at risk of becoming overweight,
and those who already were overweight.
The researchers compared the children's heights and weights,
approximately one year apart. They also looked at parents'
reports of what their children ate and drank during a
four-week period at the beginning of the first year. Fruit
drinks like Kool-Aid and Hi-C were included as sweet drinks,
along with juice and soda.
The link between sweet drinks and being overweight
showed up for all three weight categories, although it
wasn't statistically significant for the normal and
underweight children.
Taking into account other differences, such as ethnicity,
birth weight and a high-fat diet, didn't erase the effect of
sweet drinks.
The children in the study drank, on average, more fruit juice
than soft drinks or sweetened fruit drinks.
Sweet drinks are high in calories and low in fiber.
Nutritionists believe that calorie-dense, low-fiber foods may
lead to overeating because those foods are quickly consumed
but less filling than foods higher in fiber.
The authors suggest that limiting sweet drinks may help solve
the growing problem of childhood obesity. One in five American
children is overweight, according to the National Institutes
of Health.
The study defined at-risk children as those whose size put
them in the 85th to 95th percentile in growth charts. A child
in the 85th percentile would be heavier than 85 percent of
children of the same gender and age.
Richard H. Adamson, vice president for scientific and
technical affairs at the American Beverage Association,
questioned the study's methods, saying it didn't take into
account television viewing, overweight parents and the
children's activity levels.
But Dr. Rebecca Unger, who evaluates overweight children
in private practice and at Children's Memorial Hospital
in Chicago, said the study backs up what she sees in the
real world.
"We do see kids do well when we cut out juice," she said.
"Sometimes that's all they need to do."
On the Web:
http://www.pediatrics.org Pediatrics:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/bmi-for-age.htm CDC:
***********
TC
Sweet Drinks Linked to Preschool Obesity Sweet Drinks, Even
Fruit Juice, Seem to Elevate Risk of Obesity Among
Preschoolers, Research Shows By CARLA K. JOHNSON Associated
Press Writer The Associated Press Feb. 7, 2005 - Sweet
drinks whether Kool-Aid with sugar or all-natural apple
juice seem to raise the risk of pudgy preschoolers getting
fatter, new research suggests. That may come as a surprise
to parents who pride themselves on seeking out fruit drinks
with no added sugar.
"Juice is definitely a part of this," said lead researcher
Jean Welsh of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While fruit juice does have vitamins, nutritionists say it's
inferior to fresh fruit. The new U.S. dietary guidelines, for
example, urge consumers away from juice, suggesting they eat
whole fruit instead.
The bottom line, though, is that "children need very few
calories in their day," Welsh said.
"Sweet drinks are a source of added sugar in the diet."
She said preschoolers were better off snacking on fruit or
drinking water or milk.
Welsh's research, published in the February issue of
Pediatrics, found that for 3- and 4-year-olds already on
the heavy side, drinking something sweet once or twice a
day doubled their risk of becoming seriously overweight a
year later.
The sweet drinks seemed to have little effect, however, on
children of normal weight.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting
preschoolers to 4 to 6 ounces of juice per day. Some parents
and schools are paying attention.
One Chicago Head Start program banned juice last year as part
of an anti-obesity effort after finding that one out of five
of its students was obese.
Monica Dillion, community health nurse for the Howard Area
Family Center, said the preschool also added more fruits and
vegetables to meals and more exercise to the daily schedule.
The preschool has never served soft drinks.
The juice ban drew no complaints, Dillion said. "The kids
didn't notice at all."
The Pediatrics study followed 10,904 Missouri children in a
nutrition program for low-income families. Researchers looked
at the effect of sweet drinks in three groups: normal and
underweight children, those at risk of becoming overweight,
and those who already were overweight.
The researchers compared the children's heights and weights,
approximately one year apart. They also looked at parents'
reports of what their children ate and drank during a
four-week period at the beginning of the first year. Fruit
drinks like Kool-Aid and Hi-C were included as sweet drinks,
along with juice and soda.
The link between sweet drinks and being overweight
showed up for all three weight categories, although it
wasn't statistically significant for the normal and
underweight children.
Taking into account other differences, such as ethnicity,
birth weight and a high-fat diet, didn't erase the effect of
sweet drinks.
The children in the study drank, on average, more fruit juice
than soft drinks or sweetened fruit drinks.
Sweet drinks are high in calories and low in fiber.
Nutritionists believe that calorie-dense, low-fiber foods may
lead to overeating because those foods are quickly consumed
but less filling than foods higher in fiber.
The authors suggest that limiting sweet drinks may help solve
the growing problem of childhood obesity. One in five American
children is overweight, according to the National Institutes
of Health.
The study defined at-risk children as those whose size put
them in the 85th to 95th percentile in growth charts. A child
in the 85th percentile would be heavier than 85 percent of
children of the same gender and age.
Richard H. Adamson, vice president for scientific and
technical affairs at the American Beverage Association,
questioned the study's methods, saying it didn't take into
account television viewing, overweight parents and the
children's activity levels.
But Dr. Rebecca Unger, who evaluates overweight children
in private practice and at Children's Memorial Hospital
in Chicago, said the study backs up what she sees in the
real world.
"We do see kids do well when we cut out juice," she said.
"Sometimes that's all they need to do."
On the Web:
http://www.pediatrics.org Pediatrics:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/bmi-for-age.htm CDC:
***********
TC