Anew global analysis of the dietary habits of children and adolescents from 185 countries revealed that youth, on average, consumed nearly 23% more sugar-sweetened beverages in 2018 compared to 1990.
Anew global analysis of the dietary habits of children and adolescents from 185 countries revealed that youth, on average, consumed nearly 23% more sugar-sweetened beverages in 2018 compared to 1990. Overall, intakes were similar in boys and girls, but higher in teens, urban residents, and children of parents with lower levels of education. Researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University published the findings Aug. 7 in The BMJ.
The study drew from the Global Dietary Database, a large comprehensive compilation of what people around the world eat or drink, to generate the first global estimates and trends of sugar-sweetened beverage intake in youth. These were defined as soda, juice drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, and home-sweetened fruit drinks such as aguas frescas with added sugars and containing more than 50 kcal per 1 cup serving. Incorporating data from over 1,200 surveys from 1990 through 2018 in a large model, the research team found that youth (defined as those ages 3 to 19 years) were drinking more and had nearly twice the overall intake of adults.
The research team’s definition of sugary drinks excluded 100% fruit juices, non-caloric artificially sweetened drinks, and sweetened milks.
Read more at Tufts University
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