News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Studies Link Sugary
Drinks, Weight Gain Three new studies strengthen links between
sugar-sweetened drinks and excess weight. The New England
Journal of Medicine published them online September 21. Two
studies involved children. One included 224 overweight and obese
teenagers. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group
received water and diet drinks delivered to their homes for a
year. They were urged to avoid sugar-sweetened drinks and got
regular pep talks. The other group got no drinks or advice.
After a year, teens who got the free drinks had gained less
weight than those in the other group. But a year after the
program ended the difference had disappeared. A second study
involved younger children who drank sugar-sweetened beverages
regularly. Researchers gave each child a canned drink daily. One
group got sugar-sweetened drinks. For the other group, the
drinks were calorie-free and artificially sweetened. After 18
months, the diet-drink group had gained