Nutritional and energetic consequences of sweetened drink consumption in 6-to 13-year-old children

Objective To study the effects of excessive sweetened drink consumption on daily energy balance and nutrient intake in a longitudinal study of children. Subjects and methods Daily dietary intakes of 30 children aged 6 to 13 years old were collected over 4 to 8 weeks. Weights and heights of children were measured at the beginning and end of the study in 21 children. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) (PROC MIXED in SAS) and multiple regression. Results Excessive sweetened drink consumption (>12 oz/day) displaced milk from children's diets (122-147 g/day less-milk drank, P < .0001) because caregivers served less milk and the children consumed smaller amounts of milk. The consequences were lower daily protein, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin A intakes. Because children failed to reduce consumption of solid foods to compensate for the caloric contribution of sweetened drinks, higher daily energy intakes were observed. Consequently, the greater the sweetened drink consumption the greater the weight gain (1.12 +/- 0.7 kg) compared with children who consumed <12 oz per day (0.32-0.48 +/- 0.4 kg). Conclusions Excessive sweetened drink consumption is associated with the displacement of milk from children's diets, higher daily energy intake, and greater weight gain.