24% of US high school students drank at least one soda per day in 2010, compared to 29% in 2009; an indication that nutritional awareness among teenagers has improved considerably, a CDC report has revealed. Sugary beverages have long been associated with America’s high childhood obesity rate.

The report appears in MMWE (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) publication. It contains data on 11,429 high school students from around the country; considered as a nationally representative sample.

They filled in questionnaires which asked them about their diets and lifestyle habits. A section of the questionnaire focused on what they drank, and how often they had consumed the following drinks during the previous seven days: any sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB), 100% fruit juice, regular soda (or pop), diet soda (or pop), regular sports drinks, energy drinks, tea, coffee, or water.

Although the proportion of teenagers drinking at least one soda per day dropped to 24% last year, when other sweetened drinks are included, the figure rises to over 60%. An example of a non-soda sweetened drink is Gatorade. However, even here, the figure is less than it was in 1999 (more than 75%).

Awareness about the health consequences of over-consuming sodas among teenagers has improved. Some experts wonder whether this fact may have distorted the results of this study. The results are from self-reported data. Might the children have been under-reporting their soda consumption because they now know they are not good for them?

The study reports that (among US high school students):

1 in every 3 have a 100% fruit juice each day

15% consume at least one cup of tea or coffee per day

16% drink a sweetened sports drink once a day

17% drink a sweetened tea, flavored milk, or some other kind of sweetened drink once a day

42% of boys and girls have at least one glass of milk per day

7% drink one diet soda or more per day

72.4% drink a serving of water each day

Caucasian and Hispanic teenagers drink fewer sugary beverages compared to their African-American peers

Girls drink less sugary drinks than boys

SSBs have virtually no nutritional value – unless fortified, they provide no vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, or other essential nutrients. 100% fruit juices offer vitamins and some other key nutrients, while milk can be a key source of calcium.

The authors explain that SSBs are the single greatest source of sugars in the diet of American teenagers.

Parents, caregivers, teachers, school staff, and youth-oriented institutions should encourage teenagers to cut down their SSB consumption and increase their intake of water and other healthier drinks, the report stresses.

Examples of healthier drinks include water, fat-free (or low fat) milk and 100% fruit juice. 100% fruit juices should be consumed in moderation because their sugar content is high.

Sports drinks should not be consumed routinely, says the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sugar-sweetened drinks have been linked to higher rates of:

Obesity and overweight

Type 2 diabetes

Dental decay

Low consumption of essential nutrients (malnutrition)

Many soft drinks have caffeine, which can cause anxiety and sleep disruption

Some soft drinks have sodium benzoate, which may be linked to hyperactivity and DNA damage

Sweetened beverage consumption doubled from 1977 to 2001, as did the prevalence of obesity in the USA.

Experts are not yet completely sure whether sugary-drink consumption in itself causes obesity, or whether an unhealthy lifestyle, including bad diet and physical inactivity generally, which includes a higher consumption of SSBs, are the main cause. In other words, do all the risk factors have to be together, or can one of them in isolation also cause obesity?

Soda consumption per person per year: (2002. Source: Euromonitor)

# 1. United States: 216 liters

# 2. Ireland: 126 liters

= 3. Canada: 119.8 liters

= 3. Norway: 119.8 liters

# 5. Belgium: 102.9 liters

# 6. Australia: 100.1 liters

# 7. United Kingdom: 96.5 liters

# 8. Netherlands: 96.1 liters

# 9. New Zealand: 84.2 liters

# 10. Sweden: 82.4 liters

# 11. Switzerland: 81.4 liters

# 12. Denmark: 80 liters

# 13. Austria: 78.8 liters

# 14. Germany: 72 liters

# 15. Finland: 52 liters

# 16. Italy: 50.2 liters

# 17. France: 37.2 liters

# 18. Japan: 21.6 liters

All six English-speaking countries are in the top-ten in the list above.

A 12 fl oz can of non-diet soda contains between 145 and 155 calories. An adult of average weight and height needs to walk for about 23 minutes non-stop to burn those calories.

According to Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle, the ten most popular sodas in the USA in 2010 were:

1. Coca Cola

2. Diet Coke

3. Pepsi Cola

4. Mountain Dew

5. Dr. Pepper

6. Sprite

7. Diet Pepsi

8. Diet Mountain Dew

9. Diet Dr Pepper

10. Fanta

“Beverage Consumption Among High School Students – United States, 2010”

Nancy D. Brener, PhD., et al

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) June 17, 2011 / 60(23);778-780

Written by Christian Nordqvist