The percentage of Americans who were heavy consumers of sugar-sweetened beverages—those who drank more than 500 calories’ worth every day—dropped significantly from 2003 to 2016, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. They found that the percentage of children who were heavy consumers declined from 11% to 3% during that period, and the percentage of adults dropped from 13% to 9%.
The study was published online September 23, 2020 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“This is promising because we know that excessive sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is related to poor health,” first author Kelsey Vercammen, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology, said in a September 24 UPI article. Heavy consumption of sugary drinks such as sodas, juices, and flavored milks has been linked to increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Read the UPI article: American consumption of sugary drinks declines, study finds
