Drinking soda may indicate unhealthy diet during adolescence

Drinking soda at an early age in girls may indicate unhealthy diet during adolescence, claims a new study. The study has shown that girls who drank soda at an early age of five were less likely to meet nutritional standards during adolescence. However, girls who did not drink soda at the age of five had comparatively healthy diet but did not meet certain nutritional requirements.

The research study, published in the recent issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, also reveals that soda drinkers drank far less milk than the non-soda drinkers, and milk has all of the nutrients that differed between the groups except fiber.

Adequate nutrient intake is important for optimal health and growth. Lack of nutrients such as calcium may lead to bone fractures or higher added sugar may cause dental problems and other chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.

Girls between the age 14 and 18 are recommended to receive at least 65 milligrams of vitamin C daily by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences. This study found that girls who drank soda fell short at just 55 milligrams daily while non-soda drinkers exceeded the recommendation at 70.5 milligrams daily.

The study also found that the consumption of soda intake in soda drinkers increased even more after 15 compared to their counterparts. Laura Fiorito, postdoctoral fellow in Penn State's Center for Child Obesity Research, suggested that "parents model consumption patterns for their children," and that the parents'' unhealthy eating habits not only contributed to an increased BMI, but influenced children.

This study presents a clear connection that soda can prevent people from maintaining a healthy diet.

Earlier a study conducted by a team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital had found that individuals consuming a diet high in sodium or artificially sweetened drinks might damage kidney functions among women. Dr Julie Lin, MPH, FASN of Brigham and Women’s Hospital stated that higher sodium and artificially sweetened soda intake are associated with greater rate of decline in kidney functions.

source: bolohealth