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ATLANTA (AP) - A new study shows one in four high school
students drink soda every day -- a sign fewer teens are downing the
sugary drinks.
  

    The study also found teens drink water, milk and fruit juices
most often - a pleasant surprise, because researchers weren't
certain that was the case.


      "We were very pleased to see that," said the study's lead
author, Nancy Bener of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.


      Still, a quarter have at least one soda each day. And when other
sugary drinks like Gatorade are also counted, the figure is closer
to two-thirds of high school students drinking a sweetened beverage
every day.


      That's less than in the past. In the 1990s and early 2000s, more
than three-quarters of teens were having a sugary drink each day,
according to earlier research.


      The CDC reported the figures Thursday, based on a national
survey last year of more than 11,000 high school students. They
appear in one of the federal agency's publications, [[link:http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/ type:ext text:Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report.]]


      Consumption of sugary drinks is considered a big public health
problem, and has been linked to the U.S. explosion in childhood
obesity. One study of Massachusetts schoolchildren found that for
each additional sweet drink per day, the odds of obesity increased
60 percent.


      As a result, many schools have stopped selling soda or
artificial juice to students.


      Indeed, CDC data suggests that the proportion of teens who drink
soda each day dropped from 29 percent in 2009 to 24 percent in
2010, at least partly as a result.


      "It looks like total consumption is going down," said Kelly
Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy
and Obesity.


      But the results of the new CDC study are still a bit depressing,
said Brownell, who has advocated for higher taxes on sodas.


      "These beverages are the kinds of things that should be
consumed once in a while as treat - not every day," he said.
"That's a lot of calories."


      A 20-ounce Coke, for example, has 240 calories.


      Brownell also said it's possible more than a quarter of teens
are drinking soda, because many people underreport things they know
they shouldn't be eating or drinking.


      Bener agreed it's difficult to know if consumption of sugary
drinks has been falling much, adding that schools are only half the
battle.


      "Getting them out of the schools doesn't solve the problem
completely because a lot of these drinks are consumed in the
home," said Bener, a CDC health scientist.


      More detail: About 16 percent have a sweetened sports drink
every day, and 17 percent drink some other sugary beverages like
lemonade, sweetened tea and flavored milk. Black students were more
likely than whites or Hispanics to drink sugary beverages.


      The study also found that 7 percent of high school students
drink diet soda each day, 5 percent have energy drinks and 15
percent have at least one coffee or tea.


      Also, 72 percent drink a serving of water daily, 42 percent
drink at least one glass of milk and 30 percent have 100 percent
fruit juice.


      Online:
      CDC report: www.cdc.gov/mmwr

Gallery

A new study shows one in four high school
students drink soda every day -- a sign fewer teens are downing the sugary drinks. The study also found teens drink water, milk and fruit juices most often -- a pleasant surprise, because researchers weren't certain that was the case.

CDC: 1 in 4 high schoolers drink soda every day

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