Kids and teens continue to choose sugary drinks, global study shows

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by kids and teens has increased 23% worldwide since 1990 – a trend researchers say may be setting young people up for health problems down the road.

For their study, the researchers used data from the Global Dietary Database, which included more than 1,200 surveys from 185 countries. Sugar-sweetened drinks were defined as soda; juice, energy or sports drinks; and home-sweetened beverages that have added sugars and more than 50 calories per cup.

Kids and teens (ages 3-19) in 56 of the countries averaged seven or more servings a week, nearly twice as much as the global average of 3.6 servings. Kids and teens in the United States averaged 6.2 servings per week.

“Sugary beverages increase weight gain and risk of obesity, so even though kids don’t often develop diabetes or cardiovascular disease when they are young, there could be significant impacts later in life,” said study co-author Laura Lara-Castor, a recent graduate of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

To promote healthier dietary habits, various governments have implemented soda taxes and restricted sugary drink sales in schools, which have been met with aggressive industry marketing tactics, the researchers write.

“Our findings should raise alarm bells in nearly every nation worldwide,” senior study author Dariush Mozaffarian said. “The intakes and trends we’re seeing pose a significant threat to public health, one we can and must address for the future of a healthier population.”

The study was published online in The BMJ, the journal of the British Medical Association.