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According to a study published Thursday in the journal Pediatric Obesity, children and adolescents who drink low calorie or calorie-free drinks (those sweetened with sugar substitutes) consume considerably more calories – about 200 more per day – than young people who consume mainly water,.
"These findings challenge the usefulness of diet-sweetened or sweetened beverages to reduce calories and manage weight," said Allison Sylvetsky, lead author of the study and assistant professor of nutrition and diet sciences. Exercise at the University of Washington. declaration. "Our findings suggest that water should be recommended as the best choice for children and adolescents."
As emphasized in the basic information of the study, the use of low-calorie sweeteners in the diet of children and adolescents has increased by at least 200% over the course of two years. past decades. Today, 25% of young people consume one type of artificially sweetened food product on a given day, of which 19% consume an artificially sweetened drink, compared to 6% in 2000.
However, researchers still do not know how artificial sweeteners affect the total amount of calories consumed by people, including children – or whether they actually help with weight management.
Meanwhile, a growing proportion of young Americans are breaking the scales with unhealthy weight. Today, more than one third of American children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 are overweight or obese, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES). , funded by the federal government.
How the study was done
For their study, Sylvetsky and his co-authors analyzed the NHANES nutritional data collected from 7,026 children and adolescents between 2011 and 2016. (Parents / guardians answered the survey for younger children.) The survey asks participants to provide details about what they ate. and drunk for a period of 24 hours.
The drinks listed by the survey participants, which included sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, teas, milk drinks and alternative milk drinks, were divided into three groups: artificially sweetened beverages caloric), sugary drinks and water.
Young people who drank more than 4 ounces of artificially sweetened beverages but less than 4 ounces of sugary drinks on the day of the survey were classified in the low calorie drinkers category. Those who drank more than 4 ounces of sweetened beverages but less than 4 ounces of artificially sweetened beverages were classified as consumers of sugary drinks. And those who drank less than 4 ounces of artificially sweetened and sweetened beverages were classified as water consumers.
Four ounces were chosen as the threshold, as this represents half of a typical portion of an 8 ounce beverage.
What the study found
When all the data were analyzed, the researchers found that young consumers of artificially sweetened beverages and those who consumed sugary drinks consumed far more calories than their water-consuming counterparts, even after adjusting for weight.
Compared with children in the Water group, children and teens in the sugary drinks group absorbed an average of 312 more calories per day (156 more calories from added sugar), while those in the group of artificially sweetened drinks in 196 more calories per day (60 more calories from added sugars).
Young people in the study who consumed more than 4 ounces a day of artificially sweetened drinks and sugary drinks had the highest caloric intake. They absorbed an average of 450 more calories per day (184 calories of added sugars) compared to their water-consuming peers.
"The main result of our research is that drinking beverages containing low-calorie sweeteners instead of sugar does not necessarily represent fewer calories in the diet," Sylvetsky told Consumer Reports reporter Sally Wadyka. "Children who mainly consumed low calorie sweetened drinks always had a significantly higher caloric and sugars intake than those who drank mostly water."
The study was not designed to understand why young people who drink artificially sweetened drinks consume even more calories than children who drink mostly water. However, other research has suggested that artificial sweeteners can stimulate people's appetites, especially for sweet foods.
The water is the best
The study was observational, so it can only suggest (and not prove) a connection between the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages and a higher consumption of calories and sugar. In addition, feeding information was collected during a single day – a day that may not accurately reflect the overall eating habits of each youngster.
In addition, the study looked only at calories consumed by young people – not whether these extra calories had affected their health.
Nevertheless, the results are troubling, as many parents believe that calorie-free or calorie-free beverages are healthy options for their children (and themselves).
The experts are trying to send another message to the parents. The American Heart Association, for example, has recently published a scientific opinion "Against the prolonged consumption of low-calorie sweetened beverages by children".
Sylvertsky agrees with this recommendation.
"Children love sweetness, so it can be difficult to get kids to drink pure water," she told Consumer Reports. "But it's clearly the best option."
IMF: You can read (but not download) the study in its entirety from the Pediatric Obesity website.
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