Sweetened Sugary Drinks are a catastrophe for good health

Rate of obesity and the consumption of sugary drinks in the Americans have doubled since the 1970's. Obesity affects nearly 30 % of the adult population, claimed authors in an online study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Studies

To weigh the pros and cons of the sweet drinks on the health of the people three studies were carried out. The scientists reviewed 33,000 American men and women. Thirty-two variations of genes that are recognized for influencing weight were utilized by the scientists to ascertain a genetic profile of the people reviewed. The researchers also studied eating habits, exercise pattern and consumption of sugary beverages of participants.

The analysis showed that consumption of sugary drinks affected the weight regulating genes. This led to natural augmenting in the genetic tendency of an individual to put on weight.

The other two studies were carried out on adolescents and children.

The study on adolescents

The first study included 224 overweight adolescents who were permitted consumption of water and light sodas for a full year. The second group was allowed sugary drinks. The teenagers of the first group gained 0.68 kg weight as compared to the second group of kids who ended up with a weight gain of 1.5 kg.

"Taken together, these three studies suggest that calories from sugar-sweetened beverages do matter," stated Doctor Sonia Caprio of Yale University in writing in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"These randomized, controlled studies ... provide a strong impetus to develop recommendations and policy decisions to limit consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, especially those served at low cost and in excessive portions, to attempt to reverse the increase in childhood obesity," she added.

Effects of weight gain

Heavy weight gain overworks the heart and also increases the chances of joint destruction. It can lead to a heart attack, diabetes, kidney disease and even cancer. The average male teenager consumes nearly 357 calories in a single day from the sugar beverages that contain no nutrients. They end up raising the insulin levels of the body .

To conclude, normal weight children consuming a single sugary drink gain more weight than the kids who took non-calorie drinks. Overweight teens who substituted non-calorie drinks showed a major weight loss in one year. The scientists discovered that "persons with a greater genetic predisposition to obesity were more susceptible to the deleterious effects of sugar-sweetened beverages on BMI [Body Mass Index]."

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