Beverages Play Important Role in Child Nutrition

New Report Urges a Reduction in Soft-Drink Consumption and an Increase in Healthier, Water-Based Beverages

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NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 1996 -- Obesity in children may have as much to do with what kids drink as it does with what they eat, a new report by The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center's Nutrition Information Center finds.

"Liquid intake seriously impacts the overall diet of American children," says report author Barbara Levine, Ph.D., R.D. and Director of New York- Cornell's Nutrition Information Center. "Pediatricians, nutritionists, parents and care providers need to make every effort to teach children how to make healthy beverage choices an essential part of a nutritious, well-balanced diet."

By 1994, the average teenager consumed 64.5 gallons of soft drink per year, triple the amount consumed in 1978 (20.6 gallons). On average, 75 percent of teenage boys drank almost three 12-ounce cans of soda per day, and two-thirds of teenage girls drank approximately two cans, this according to the 1994 United States Department of Agriculture survey, "What We Eat in America."

During the same period, soft drink consumption more than doubled in children ages 6 to 11 and non-citrus juice (those other than 100% juice, like apple & grape based mixes) consumption among young children also tripled.

"This dramatic rise in high calorie beverage consumption among children and teens occurred during approximately the same years as did the most significant increase in childhood and adolescent obesity," the report states.

Curing Obesity In Children Makes for Healthier Lives

While adulthood obesity has been well-documented, much less attention has been given to childhood and adolescent obesity. It is estimated that 21 percent of American children and adolescents ages 12 to 19 are obese. According to the 1995 study "Childhood Obesity: Pathophysiology and Treatment," (Baylor College of Medicine) adolescent obesity is associated with myriad factors, including; obese parents, a sedentary lifestyle, and young children's tendency to eat away from home at a childcare center, a friend's house and/or fast food restaurants.

A number of negative health consequences have been attributed to improper liquid nutrition including bone fractures which can lead to osteoporosis due to deficient calcium intake as well as tooth decay and other tooth wear problems such as tooth tissue loss due to excess sugar. Dehydration, especially during hot weather, is another serious risk.

Recommendations for Healthy Beverage Choices

"We believe it is time to help children and adolescents break the high calorie fruit drink and soft drink habit," the report states and offers several key suggestions that can make healthier beverages more tasteful, available and enjoyable.

• Make Healthy Beverage Alternatives More Flavorful
  Mix sparkling mineral water and fruit juice. Diluting high-calorie fruit juices with water provides a refreshing beverage alternative.

• Make Healthy Beverage Alternatives Easily Accessible
  Keep refrigerated water and water-abundant fruits (watermelon, grapes, cantaloupe) easily accessible at home. Place children's cups and drinking glasses near the home water cooler.

• Incorporate Substitutes Gradually
  Substitute 100% juice for sugared drinks and place water in children's lunch boxes a few times during the week.

• Make Healthy Beverage Alternatives Appealing
  Beverage consumption is as much a social activity as a means to remain hydrated and quench thirst. The very fact that bottled water can be purchased in single-serve bottles in a variety of flavors puts it in the same league with soft drinks.

The new report appears in the November issue of Current Concepts and Perspectives in Nutrition, the Center's journal. Reprints of the report are available free of charge by contacting New York-Cornell Nutrition Information Center at 515 East 71 Street, New York, N.Y. 10021; 212-746-1617.

New York-Cornell's Nutrition Information Center serves as a resource for gathering and disseminating accurate and current information in nutrition research, clinical nutrition and basic nutrition principles to health professionals, and ultimately to the general public. The primary mission and highest priority of New York-Cornell's Nutrition Information Center is to serve as a resource for health professionals, keeping them up-to-date on important developments in the field of nutrition.

CONTACT: Lori Agin of Medisphere Communications, 212-213-4211