The negative health effects of consuming sugary drinks are well documented. Just one fruit drink, regular soda, or energy drink contains more added sugar than most young people should consume in an entire day. Yet beverage companies continue to market these products aggressively to children and teens.
Numerous research studies document that consumption of sugary drinks is positively associated with increased calorie consumption, body weight, and diet-related health issues, as well as poor overall nutrition and tooth decay in young people.Sugary drinks contribute 22% of empty calories consumed by children and teens,soda is the number-one source of calories in teens’ diets,and young people consumed 20% more calories from sugary drinks in the period from 1999 to 2004 than they did 10 years earlier.Drinking just one 8-ounce sugary drink every day increases a child’s odds of becoming obese by 60 percent.
Numerous public health organizations, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,American Academy of Pediatrics,and American Heart Association,have called for reduced consumption of added sugars, including from sugary drinks. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that energy drinks “have no place in the diet of children and adolescents.”Exposure to TV advertising for sugary drinks is associated with higher consumption of these products.Nevertheless, companies spent more on marketing beverages directly to children and adolescents compared with any other food category,12 and the majority of beverage advertising promotes sugary drinks.13 Marketing for sugary drinks also may be targeted disproportionately more often to minority and low-income youth who consume more of these products and are at higher risk of obesity and related diseases.
