Fans of sugary-sweet beverages you might want to put down your cup or glass or bottle after reading this. Analysis of new studies, including 250,000 people, has confirmed that sugar-sweetened drinks are linked to overweight and obesity in both children and adults. The large scale review included 30 new studies, published between 2013 and 2015 (and none of them industry sponsored. The study published in the journal Obesity Fact also said that country who have not been taking extra caution( in terms of 'empty calorie' intake in form of these beverages), must start as soon as possible to prevent the consequences attached.
The review is written by a team of authors, including lead author Dr Maria Luger, Special Institute for Preventive Cardiology And Nutrition SIPCAN, Salzburg, Austria, EASO President Elect Dr Nathalie Farpour-Lambert (University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland) and Dr Maira Bes-Rastrollo, University of Navarra, Spain, and Carlos III Institute of Health, Spain.
The reviewers noted that the explained Dr Farpour-Lambert. "We were able to include 30 new studies not sponsored by the industry in this review, an average of 10 per year. Which should in itself ring the warning bell. The new review compares with a previous review that included 32 studies across the period 1990-2012.
By combining the already published evidence with this new research, the reviewers concluded, that the staggering data all point towards an obvious link that these sugary beverages indeed lead to excessive weight gain. The experts emphasized that public health policies should aim to reduce the consumption of sugary beverages and encourage healthy alternatives such as water instead. Yet to date, actions to reduce SSB consumption in many countries are limited or non-existent, the researchers noted.
For thus study, the experts examined the data received from 244,651 study participants in this new systematic review. As far as the geographical area of the studies are concerned, 33 percent were done in Europe, 23 percent in the US, 17 percent in Middle or South America, 10 percent in Australia, 7 percent in South Africa, and the remaining 10 percent in Iran, Thailand and Japan.
Associations between these sugary sweet beverages and body weight measures could be influenced by other diet and lifestyle factors too. Several studies have pointed several such factors, but the number of studies linking sugary beverage consumption and overweight/obesity points to an independent effect of sugary beverages.
Researchers also suggested a way forward that may help regulate the sugary sweet beverages consumption. They said that future research should focus on the following questions: How can we effectively reduce the consumption of SSBs in different populations? What is the impact of interventions on body weight or obesity in children and adults? What are the responsibilities of the food and beverages industry, policy makers, public health institutions, communities, schools, and individuals?
To build a healthy society, work must be done on grassroot levels, said the reviewers. Professional networks and the food and beverages industry must promote healthy diets in accordance with international standards, they noted.