Sugary drinks tied to obesity among preschoolers

Five-year-olds who drink sugar-sweetened sodas, sports drinks or juices every day are more likely to be obese than those who have sugar-sweetened beverages less often, according to a new study.

Although the link between sugary drinks and extra weight has been well documented among teens and adults, researchers said that up until now, the evidence was less clear for young children.

“Even though sugar-sweetened beverages are relatively a small percentage of the calories that children take in, that additional amount of calories did contribute to more weight gain over time,” said Dr. Mark DeBoer, who led the study at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

He and his colleagues surveyed the parents of a nationally-representative group of 9,600 children when the kids were 2, 4 and 5 years old. The children were all born in 2001. Parents reported on their income and education, as well as how often children drank sugary beverages and watched TV.

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