High-calorie beverages add to obesity

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Not only soda, but fruit drinks, alcohol and a combination of other high-calorie beverages are adding to the U.S. obesity crisis, a study found.

Professor Barry M. Popkin and doctoral candidate Kiyah J. Duffey of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill say that during the holidays, when eggnog, cocktails and spiced cider are abundant, the problem can be even more apparent.

The study, published in Obesity Research, used nationally representative data to quantify both trends and patterns in beverage consumption among 46,576 American adults age 19 and older from 1965 to 2002.

The researchers found that in the past 37 years, the number of calories adults get through beverages has nearly doubled -- providing an average 21 percent of daily energy intake among U.S. adults, or an additional 222 calories from all beverages daily.

Water intake was measured from 1989 to 2002, and during this period, the amount of water consumed stayed roughly the same, but the average adult consumed an additional 21 ounces per day of other beverages, Popkin said.

"Regardless of beverage type -- sodas, milk, juice or beer -- those extra calories are not compensated for by a reduction in food intake," Popkin said.