A pair of studies released by the Centers for Disease Control indicate that children and adults consume roughly the same amount of calories from soda and other sugary beverages, such as sports drinks, as they did at the start of the decade, says the Washington Post. “Rates have stalled at well above the recommended limit.”
The studies show that sugary drinks supply 7.3 percent of calories consumed by youths aged 2-19 and 6.5 percent of calories for adults. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that added sugars – sweeteners added to food – be limited to 10 percent of the diet. Consumption of sugary beverages leaves little leeway for complying with the recommendation.
Some 63 percent of youth drank at least one sugar-sweetened beverage each day; 49 percent of adults consumed a sugar-sweetened beverage daily, according to CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The CDC says sugary beverages have been linked to weight gain, tooth decay and diabetes.
“The amount of sugar that children in particular consume is still astounding,” said Rachel Johnson, a nutrition professor speaking for the American Heart Association, which recommends that children consume soda no more than once a week. The CDC says 20 percent of youths consume at two sugary beverages daily.
Market research indicates that sales of full-calorie sodas declined marginally since 2011, said the Post. At the same time, sales of energy drinks, iced tea and coffee, and sports drinks increased.
“Meanwhile, it’s also possible that the initial decline in sugary-beverage consumption came among Americans who were particularly receptive to changing their behavior, such as upper-income individuals,” said the Post. “That leaves a soda-drinking population whose habits are changing more slowly.”