Title: Z5089858 The influence of sugar-sweetened beverages on overweight and obesity prevalence worldwide
Introduction: It’s
so easy to reach for a quick soda or sugary drink when you’re in need of a
quick burst of energy. But do you ever
stop to think what’s really in that beverage? How about the affect is has on
your body? The answer is most likely, no! All you typically think about is that
quick fix, that quick burst of energy that’s going to take you over that hump.
But let’s talk realistically for a moment - that burst of energy you so desperately crave,
is short lived and an incomplete compensation for the real energy that you
need.
The purpose
of this blog is to make you think before you drink. There is a strong correlation between obesity
and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB).
This begins in childhood and compounds as we get older (Vasanti, Shulze,
Hu, 2008).
What: There has been an explosion of obesity worldwide
over the past two decades. In the United
States alone, there are one billion overweight adults and about one third of
these are considered to be obese. In
Australia 25% of children are overweight and obese while 63% of adults are
overweight or obese. The influence of sugar-sweetened
beverages influences our dietary intake.
Over the past two decades obesity has escalated (Vasanti, Shulze, Hu, 2008).
How: Many people do not think about how a soda or any
SSBs will affect them. They need a quick
burst of energy or want a cold drink. It
is easy and convenient. However, a
twelve-ounce can of soda contains around 33 grams of sugar (Food Lists 2015).
Besides weight gain, an increased sugar content leads to diabetes, heart
disease and other illnesses that will shorten your life (Ebbeling, Pawlak,
Ludwig, 2002). Thus creating a vicious cycle.
Once the sugar fix wears off, you then need another burst to keep you
going. The American Heart Association recently came out with a statement regarding
the need to be a reduction in the intake of added sugar we consume and that the
primary source of added sugars in many American diets are SSBs (Vasanti,
Popkin, Bray, Despres, Hu, 2010). Consuming
large amounts of SSBs can lead to obesity, which can also contribute to other
diseases and illnesses (Dehghan, Danesh, Merchant, 2005). Many SSBs don't provide nutritional value,
except for energy, and represent the largest contributor of added sugars in
kids’ diets. Often times parents believe
their children are too young to be affected by SSBs and don’t realize the
affect it can have on them later in life. An interesting study was conducted by
Dubois, Farmer, Ginard and Peterson, showing the affects on children between
the ages of 2.5 and 4.5 years who consume beverages containing SSBs between
meals. They found that the chances of them being overweight by the age of 4.5
are doubled! (Dubois, Farmer, Ginard, Peterson, 2007).
Why: There is direct correlation in our society between
increased SSB consumption and obesity.
We must make an effort to control ourselves and more importantly make an
effort to prevent excess intake by our children. Childhood obesity is hard to correct and
definitely leads to health problem as young adults. Obesity is a chronic
disorder that has multiple causes. Not
only does it affect your physical health, but your psychological health can be
deeply affected, as well. There are many
psychological disorders, such as depression, that kids get from being
overweight and obese. Childhood obesity is a serious public health concern because it
often leads into being overweight in adulthood (Dubois, Farmer, Ginard,
Peterson, 2007).
http://healthierhospitals.org/media-center/spark-blog/what-i-thought-i-knew-about-sugar-sweetened-beverages-ssbsand-what-i-learned
What Now: We must break the cycle! As time has gone on, more and more people are becoming overweight
and obese due to consuming SSBs. 30% of
Adults who are obese show signs before adolescence (Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare). We must educate our children and show them it’s just as
easy to reach for a bottle of water, or non sugar drink, as it is to grab a
soda. We must also lead by example.
Children who consume SSBs are 2.57 times more likely to becoming overweight
than children who do not consume SSBs (Papandreou, Andreou, Heraclides, Rousso,
2013). In 2000 and 2005 the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans advised the public to try to choose beverages and
foods that will decrease their intake of added sugars. The World Health Organization suggests that
consuming added sugars in your diet should be no more than 10% of your dietary
energy (Vasanti, Shulze, Hu, 2008). It
is not just the United States that has had an increase consumption of SSBs, it
is many other countries across the globe (Ebbeling, Pawlak, Ludwig, 2002). One
way to prevent becoming overweight and obese, due to consuming SSBs, are
awareness and prevention at an early age.
Pediatricians and parents should work together to come up with the right
dietary plan for their children (Papandreou, Andreou, Heraclides, Rousso,
2013). Most often, it is the parents and caregivers
who are giving children SSBs, rather than drinks that are lower in sugar. The
study, mentioned earlier in my blog, regarding young children consuming SSBs
between meals, showed that these children were less educated, came from lower
income families, and had young mothers.
Health professionals should be targeting these children, and parents, to help implement strategies to make better
choices than consuming SSBs between meals (Dubois, Farmer, Ginard, Peterson,
2007). Knowing the right dietary plan
for your child will help prevent them from becoming overweight and obese. It is very hard to lose weight once you are overweight. Prevention is the only way to stop this. Some preventions methods include targeting
preschool institutions, schools, after school programs. It is important to learn at an early age the
right diet for your body as well as to do physical activity.
Conclusion: Sugar-sweetened
beverages do not provide a lot of nutritional benefit. Instead they are causing children to become
overweight and obese, as well as increasing their chances of getting type two
diabetes, and dental decay. Obesity is
on the rise, so it is important to try to implement prevention strategies at a young
age. Parents, teachers and caregivers
are the main people giving these children sugar-sweetened beverages, so it is
important that they are educated to stop and show these kids that there are
healthier alternatives such as water, low-fat milk, and small amounts of fruit
juice (Vasanti, Shulze, Hu, 2008).
References:
Dehghan, Mahshid. Akhtar-Danesh, Noori. T-Merchant-Anwar. "Childhood
Obesity, Prevalence and Prevention." Nutrition
Journal. Dehghan Et Al, 2 Sept. 2005. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
De Ruyter, Janne C., Margreet M. Olthof, Jacob C. Seidell,
and Martijn B. Katan. "A Trial of Sugar-free or Sugar-Sargaret Weetened
Beverages and Body Weight in Children — NEJM." New England Journal of Medicine. N.p., 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Oct.
2015.
Dubois, Lise, Anna Farmer, Manon Girard, and Kelly Peterson.
Journal of the American Dietetic
Association. 6th ed. Vol. 107. N.p.: n.p., 2007. 924-34. Print.
Ebbeling, Caren B., Dorota B. Pawlak, and David S. Ludwig.
"Childhood Obesity: Public-health Crisis, Common Sense Cure." E Science Direct. Elsevier Ltd., 10 Aug.
2002. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
"Foods List." Foods
List. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
Malik, Vasanti S., Barry M. Popkin, George A. Bray, Jean
Pierre Despres, and Frank B. Hu. "Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Obesity, Type
2 Diabetes Mellitus, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk." American Heart Association. American
Heart Association, 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
Malik, Vasanti S., Matthias B. Schulze, and Frank B. Hu.
"Intake of Sugar-sweetened Beverages and Weight Gain: A Systematic
Review." The American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2008. Web. 27
Oct. 2015.
"Overweight and Obesity." (AIHW). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2015. Web. 27
Oct. 2015.
Papandreou, D., E. Andreou, A. Heraclides, and I. Rousso.
"Is Beverage Intake Related to Overweight and Obesity in School
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