Research linking sugary drinks to weight gain in children and adolescents received extensive coverage in print and online, and was featured on one of Friday's national news broadcasts. The findings are portrayed as important but not unexpected.
NBC Nightly News (9/21, story 9, 2:15, Williams) (9/21, story 9, 2:15, Williams) reported on research linking sugary drinks, with the focus on a study by researchers on Children's Hospital Boston.
The New York Times 
(9/22, A16, Rabin, Subscription Publication) reported that results from two randomized clinical trials published on Friday in The New England Journal of Medicine support the claim that limiting sugar drinks may reduce obesity. The findings provide "a potent weapon" for lawmakers and other critics who want such drinks regulated or banned. One Boston Children's Hospital trial compared weight gain among overweight teenagers who got bottled water and diet drinks delivered for one year and a similar group that didn't get the deliveries. The first group gained an average 3.5 pounds in a year, while the other group gained an average 7.7 pounds. In the other trial, VU University Amsterdam researchers gave either a sugar-sweetened drink or no-calorie drink to groups of children ages four to 11. In the following 18 months, "children in the sugar-free group gained 13.9 pounds on average, while those drinking the sugar-added version gained 16.2 pounds."
(9/22, A16, Rabin, Subscription Publication) reported that results from two randomized clinical trials published on Friday in The New England Journal of Medicine support the claim that limiting sugar drinks may reduce obesity. The findings provide "a potent weapon" for lawmakers and other critics who want such drinks regulated or banned. One Boston Children's Hospital trial compared weight gain among overweight teenagers who got bottled water and diet drinks delivered for one year and a similar group that didn't get the deliveries. The first group gained an average 3.5 pounds in a year, while the other group gained an average 7.7 pounds. In the other trial, VU University Amsterdam researchers gave either a sugar-sweetened drink or no-calorie drink to groups of children ages four to 11. In the following 18 months, "children in the sugar-free group gained 13.9 pounds on average, while those drinking the sugar-added version gained 16.2 pounds."
The Time (9/22, Park) "Healthland" blog reported that in another "study, scientists analyzed genetic data on 33,000 health professionals who answered questions about their diet, including their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, while participating in three large health surveys over many years." Researchers "calculated a score for each participant representing his or her genetic vulnerability to obesity, based on 32 genetic markers known to be involved in weight." The investigators found that "people who had higher genetic scores for obesity were more likely to be obese than those who had fewer such genes, and those who drank a lot of soda were also more likely to be obese than those who drank less -- but people who had both a high genetic risk for obesity and drank a lot of soda were at much higher risk of being obese than they would have been given either factor alone."
(9/22, Park) "Healthland" blog reported that in another "study, scientists analyzed genetic data on 33,000 health professionals who answered questions about their diet, including their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, while participating in three large health surveys over many years." Researchers "calculated a score for each participant representing his or her genetic vulnerability to obesity, based on 32 genetic markers known to be involved in weight." The investigators found that "people who had higher genetic scores for obesity were more likely to be obese than those who had fewer such genes, and those who drank a lot of soda were also more likely to be obese than those who drank less -- but people who had both a high genetic risk for obesity and drank a lot of soda were at much higher risk of being obese than they would have been given either factor alone."
The AP (9/22, Marchione) pointed out that "sugary drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet, and they are increasingly blamed for the fact that a third of US children and teens and more than two-thirds of adults are obese or overweight."
(9/22, Marchione) pointed out that "sugary drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet, and they are increasingly blamed for the fact that a third of US children and teens and more than two-thirds of adults are obese or overweight."
The Los Angeles Times (9/24, Healy) reports, "In June, the American Medical Assn. broke a years-long silence and called taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages one effective method of improving health and reducing consumption of the high-calorie drinks. The American Heart Assn. has already endorsed such taxes, and Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has called taxes 'the single most effective measure to reverse the obesity epidemic.'"
(9/24, Healy) reports, "In June, the American Medical Assn. broke a years-long silence and called taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages one effective method of improving health and reducing consumption of the high-calorie drinks. The American Heart Assn. has already endorsed such taxes, and Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has called taxes 'the single most effective measure to reverse the obesity epidemic.'"
USA Today (9/24, Hellmich) reports, "In another study, presented at the Obesity Society meeting Friday, researchers found that some teens gain a significant amount of extra weight from both sports drinks and sodas."
(9/24, Hellmich) reports, "In another study, presented at the Obesity Society meeting Friday, researchers found that some teens gain a significant amount of extra weight from both sports drinks and sodas."
NBC News (9/24, Fox) "Vitals" blog reports, "The studies demonstrate that it is possible to fight back against childhood obesity, but it will take a lot of vigilance. They may also vindicate a recent, controversial decision by New York to ban the sale of supersized drinks that are sweetened with sugar."
(9/24, Fox) "Vitals" blog reports, "The studies demonstrate that it is possible to fight back against childhood obesity, but it will take a lot of vigilance. They may also vindicate a recent, controversial decision by New York to ban the sale of supersized drinks that are sweetened with sugar."
Also covering the story are Reuters (9/22, Begley), the Boston Globe (9/22, Kotz) "Daily Dose" blog, Bloomberg News (9/22, Pettypiece), WebMD (9/22, Doheny), Heartwire (9/22, Stiles) and US News & World Report (9/22, Koebler).
(9/22, Begley), the Boston Globe (9/22, Kotz) "Daily Dose" blog, Bloomberg News (9/22, Pettypiece), WebMD (9/22, Doheny), Heartwire (9/22, Stiles) and US News & World Report (9/22, Koebler).
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