New Nationwide Study Suggests Healthier
Beverage Choices
in U.S. May be a Key Strategy to Help
Fight Obesity
Coalition
of Health Experts Helps Launch New Campaign
Urging
American Children and Adults to 'Think
About Your Drink'
WASHINGTON,
DC, January 8, 2007 - With nearly
two out of three Americans overweight
or obese, one of the keys to a healthier
weight could be rethinking what you drink
each day.
A new comprehensive analysis of U.S. beverage
consumption called What America Drinks1
suggests that making healthier beverage
choices could play a key role in the battle
against Americans' widening waistlines.
While people trying to lose weight may
tend to focus on what's filling their
plates, the new study suggests that it's
time for Americans to take a closer look
at what's in our glasses, cups, cans and
car drink holders, too.
This in-depth analysis of what we've been
drinking revealed that beverages supplied
nearly a quarter (22%) of our total calories
- with nutrient-poor, sugar-sweetened
beverages, such as soft drinks, fruit-flavored
drinks, and presweetened teas, as the
largest contributor. The report
found that teenagers and adults drank
two to three times the amount of sweetened
beverages as they did milk, which some
researchers have identified as a trend
associated with an increased risk of obesity.2,3
Some studies suggest that teenagers and
adults who drink more milk and less nutrient-poor,
sugar-sweetened beverages are more likely
to maintain a healthier weight.
A recent research review published in
the International Journal of Obesity examined
the growing body of evidence linking the
increased consumption of sugar-sweetened
beverages to today's escalating rates
of obesity, particularly among children
and adolescents. Some other studies suggest
that low milk consumption may be a risk
factor for obesity.4,5,6,7
"Added sugars, especially in drinks,
are linked to higher calorie intake,"
said registered dietitian Connie Diekman
of the American Dietetic Association.
"Making small changes in what you
drink may help prevent weight gain and
may aid in weight loss."
The goal of the new Think About Your Drink
campaign is to raise awareness of the
important role beverage choice could play
in the fight against obesity.
The campaign messages are supported by
the American Dietetic Association, American
Academy of Pediatrics and the School Nutrition
Association, organizations each participating
in the unveiling of the new campaign today
in Washington, DC.
Awash in Nutrient-Poor Sugary Sodas
The new beverage consumption study results
show that nutrient-poor, sugar-sweetened
beverages like soft drinks provided more
calories to an adult's diet than any other
beverage category. Yet, these "stealth"
calories could often be overlooked by
Americans. Experts say that nutrient-poor,
sweetened beverages are a problem not
only because of the empty calories they
contain, but because they can push nutrient-rich
beverages out of the diet - including
lowfat and fat free milk.
The What America Drinks report found that
teen boys consumed an average of 32 ounces
of sweetened beverages a day (387 calories
- 13% of total daily calories); teen girls
drank 22 ounces, which contributed on
average a 12% of total daily calories
or 267 calories a day to their diets -
which extrapolating would translate into
about 8,000 calories over the course of
a month. In contrast, teen boys
drank only 12 ounces of milk a day and
teen girls drank even less, an average
of 7 ounces, or not even a full serving
of milk.
U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans
recommend 24 ounces of lowfat or fat free
milk or milk products each day for both
teens and adults.
Some studies have shown that avoiding
milk during childhood may increase the
risk of being overweight during adolescence.
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition
found that Asian and Caucasian girls
ages 9-14 who drank milk tended to have
less body fat, while soft drink intake
was associated with greater body weight.
Researchers found that one milk
serving was linked to lower body fat,
while one can of soda was connected to
an almost 4-pound increase in body weight.2
"We're alarmed that soft drinks may
potentially take the place of milk in
the diets of children and teenagers,"
said Jay E. Berkelhamer, MD, FAAP, president
of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"This is not only a concern related
to obesity; but too many soft drinks
instead of calcium-rich milk decreases
adolescents' ability to gain optimal bone
mass, and that could increase the risk
of fractures later in life."
In response to the childhood obesity epidemic,
the School Nutrition Association has been
actively involved in changing the types
of beverages available in schools, where
children and teens spend two-thirds of
their day and eat one, and often two,
of their meals.
"We recognize the importance of encouraging
healthier beverage choices among our young
people." said Janey Thornton, president
of the School Nutrition Association.
"Milk is a core component of the
National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs
and we've been helping to promote lowfat
and fat free milk and other healthful
options throughout schools, including
in vending machines and at school events.
We're thrilled to support Think About
Your Drink to help America's youth make
better beverage choices."
Milk's Role in Weight
What America Drinks found that adults
also drank soda or another sweetened beverage
more often than milk. Adult women,
ages 19-49 years, consumed the least amount
of milk - an average of 6 ounces a day.
They drank three times as many sweetened
beverages, 18 ounces a day or 10% of daily
calories (214 calories).
The new What America Drinks report found
that women age 14-49 years of age who
drank higher amounts of milk and lower
amounts of nutrient-poor, sweetened beverages
tended to weigh significantly less than
their peers who consumed higher amounts
of sweetened beverages and lower amounts
of milk - regardless of overall calorie
intake.
This suggests that sweetened beverage
consumption may be associated with an
increased weight due to factors other
than the increased calorie intake.
Beyond the findings of the What America
Drinks report, some research suggests
that if you need to lose weight and your
diet is currently low in calcium, including
24 ounces of lowfat or fat free milk in
a reduced-calorie diet could help you
lose more weight than cutting calories
alone.
What America Drinks also confirmed that
milk was the primary beverage source of
important nutrients such as calcium, protein,
potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin
A and zinc in the American diet.
Think About Your Drink
To help change the way America drinks,
the new Think About Your Drink campaign
is involving the help of dietitians, pediatricians
and school nutrition professionals.
The campaign will include new public service-type
ads on television and a Milk Mustache
ad in magazines featuring actress and
new mom Mariska Hargitay urging better
beverage choices. To help illustrate
the impact of what you drink, new online
tools are available at www.thinkaboutyourdrink.com,
where you can log on to receive a personalized
nutrition analysis of your daily drinks.
You also can download a personal training
program hosted by fitness guru Kathy Smith
and register for the Great American Weight
Loss Challenge - a program that has been
successful for more than 160,000 women
in the last two years.
To bring the message directly to Americans
from coast to coast, the Think About Your
Drink campaign will hit the streets in
April with a 75-city educational tour.
Teenagers who kick the can and reach for
milk more often could win a chance to
star in their very own Milk Mustache ad.
To learn more about the teen challenge,
visit www.bodybymilk.com.
For more information about the Think About
Your Drink campaign and a copy of the
What America Drinks report, visit www.thinkaboutyourdrink.com.
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AVAILABLE ON PATHFIRE DMG NEWS SYSTEM
BEGINNING MONDAY, JANUARY 8
On the left side of the Pathfire/DMG main
page, click on AKA MEDIA INC.
Locate AKAM0551/ Slug: "Think About
Your Drink"
The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP),
Washington, D.C., is funded by the nation's
milk processors, who are committed to
increasing fluid milk consumption.
The MilkPEP Board runs the national Milk
Mustache "got milk?" Campaign,
a multi-faceted campaign designed to educate
consumers about the health benefits of
milk. For more information, go to
www.thinkaboutyourdrink.com. The tagline
"got milk?"® was created
for the California Milk Processor Board
by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and
is licensed by the national milk processor
and dairy producer groups.
What America Drinks is based on a comprehensive
study conducted by ENVIRON International
Corporation. The report analyzed
data from more than 10,000 Americans ages
4 and older who participated in the government's
National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000 and 2001-2002
and provided reasonable dietary reports
of food/beverage intakes.
1. What America Drinks is based on a comprehensive
study conducted by ENVIRON International
Corporation. The report analyzed
data from more than 10,000 Americans ages
4 and older who participated in the government's
National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000 and 2001-2002
and provided reasonable dietary reports
of food/beverage intakes.
2. Novotny R, Daida YG, Acharya S, Grove
JS, Vogt TM. Dairy intake is associated
with lower body fat and soda intake with
greater weight in adolescent girls. Journal
of Nutrition. 2004;134:1905-1909.
3. Malik VS, Schulze MB, Hu FB. Intake
of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight
gain: a systematic review. American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition. 2006; 84:274-288.
4. Teegarden D. The influence of dairy
product consumption on body composition.
Journal of Nutrition. 2005; 135:2749-2752.
5. Zemel MB, Thompson W, Milstead A, Morris
K, Campbell P. Calcium and dairy
acceleration of weight and fat loss during
energy restriction in obese adults.
Obesity Research. 2004. 12(4): 582-590.
6. Melanson EL, Donahoo WT, Dong F, Ida
T, Zemel MB. Effect of low- and high-calcium
dairy-based diets on macronutrient oxidation
in humans. Obesity Research. 2005;13:2102-12.
7. Pereira MA. The possible role of sugar-sweetened
beverages in obesity etiology: a review
of the evidence. International Journal
of Obesity. 2006;