Consuming sugary drinks in childhood linked to obesity during adulthood, finds study

According to a new study by the School of Psychology at Swansea University, consuming sugar-sweetened drinks in the first few years of childhood can be linked to poor diet patterns that increase the risk of obesity in later life.

The findings are published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Previous reports have stated that consuming sugar-sweetened drinks in childhood is associated with a greater risk of obesity, and some studies have treated all sweet drinks as similar; for example combining carbonated drinks, sweetened tea, energy drinks, fruit-based drinks, and 100% fruit juice with no added sugar has been linked to increased body weight.

In the study, researchers tracked the influence of diet on 14,000 children from birth to adulthood using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

The key findings of the study were as follows:

1. Children who drank fizzy drinks such as cola or sugar-sweetened fruit cordials before the age of two gained more weight when they were 24 years old. Girls who had pure fruit juice gained less weight, while the weight of boys remained the same.

2. At three years of age, toddlers who drank cola consumed more calories, fat, protein, and sugar but less fibre. In contrast, those given pure apple juice consumed less fat and sugar but higher amounts of fibre.

The finding of this study highlighted that the sweet drink given to children before two years of age was associated with adiposity at 24 years of age. In males, early exposure to cola, fruit squash, or fizzy drinks was at three years associated with a diet containing more energy, carbohydrates, fat, protein, and sugar. In contrast, early exposure to apple juice was not associated with energy intake at age three years, but there was a higher consumption of protein, and a lower consumption of fat andsugars.The pattern in females was similar.

Reference:Benton, D., Young, H.A. Early exposure to sugar sweetened beverages or fruit juice differentially influences adult adiposity. Eur J Clin Nutr (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-024-01430-y