Obesity is becoming increasingly common among young people worldwide and is associated with a higher risk of several chronic diseases. A large international study has found that daily soft drink consumption is significantly associated with overweight and obesity among adolescents.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, examined data from 405,528 school-going adolescents across 107 countries and regions. Researchers investigated whether drinking soft drinks at least once a day was associated with overweight and obesity.
The research was led by scientists affiliated with Japan’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the Wolfson Institute of Population Health at Queen Mary University of London.
Researchers found a positive association between the prevalence of daily soft drink consumption and overweight and obesity among adolescents. At the individual level, students who consumed soft drinks daily had 14% higher odds of being overweight or obese compared with those who did not consume them daily.
The researchers also found that, at the country level, a 10% increase in the prevalence of daily soft drink consumption was associated with a 3.7% increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity, after accounting for several factors including age, sex, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, soft drink taxes, country income level and year of data collection.
Overall, around 17.2% of the adolescents included in the analysis were overweight or obese, while approximately 32.9% consumed soft drinks at least once a day.
The findings are consistent with earlier research suggesting that sugar-sweetened beverages can contribute to weight gain. Such drinks can add substantial amounts of sugar and calories to the diet without providing the same feeling of fullness as many solid foods.
However, the researchers cautioned that their study was cross-sectional, meaning it identified an association rather than proving that soft drink consumption directly causes obesity. Other factors, including dietary patterns, family circumstances and environmental influences, may also contribute to weight status.
The researchers concluded that reducing soft drink consumption should be considered an important part of efforts to address rising rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents.
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