Fizzy drinks a major culprit in child obesity

FIZZY drinks are piling on the pounds on teenagers, with one can a day adding one stone to their weight after a year, research shows.

Researchers who monitored the weight of more than 100 teenagers found that those who consumed a single can of sugar-sweetened drink gained more than a pound in body weight every month.

Half of the teens surveyed drank only unsweetened drinks.

The study, published yesterday in the American journal Pediatrics, underlines the importance of banning fizzy drinks in school lunchboxes and vending machines, a process already under way in a number of Irish schools.

Researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston in the US followed 103 teenagers for six months. Half of the participants received low-calorie drinks, such as bottled waters and ‘diet’ brands and were instructed to avoid sweet drinks while the remainder continued their usual eating and drinking patterns.

Other factors, such as physical activity levels and television viewing, did not change in either group.

Dr Eva Orsmond, who specialises in treating obesity in Irish children, said she agreed with the study’s findings, which were based on the daily consumption of a 330ml can of a sugary drink.

“Fizzy drinks actually make you hungry because they cause more insulin to be released to decrease the rise in sugar levels,” she pointed out.

Ireland is now in the top slot with Britain in the European obesity stakes.

According to the European Task Force on Obesity, one in four Irish children is either overweight or obese and at greater risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Increasing prosperity, a greater reliance on convenience foods, a tendency to snack more often and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle are all contributing to the problem.

Dr Orsmond, who runs the Shape Up Weight Management Clinic (www.shapeup.ie) in Stillorgan, Co Dublin, sees children as young as seven who are overweight or obese.

And, she said, in most cases the problem was lifestyle-related and a lot of junk food, including fizzy drinks, was involved.

“Sugary drinks are also part of the problem because you can buy them almost everywhere. They are also readily available in children’s homes. And while juices are a healthier alternative to soft drinks, they are also increasing the calorie intake and some children are allowed to drink them continuously like water,” she said.

Parents, however, find it very difficult to accept that it is also their fault that their child is overweight.

“Parents need to accept that they also need help. The entire family has to change their lifestyle and the earlier the better. It is not just about diet, it’s about getting the right balance.”