NEW YORK, June 4 (UPI) -- Teens who consume sugar-sweetened beverages -- sodas, fruit drinks and sports drinks -- drink an average of 356 calories per day, U.S. researchers said.
Comparing data from two time periods, 1988 to 1994 and 1999 to 2004, researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health showed that over-consumption of sugary beverages is widespread, with 84 percent of teens consuming sugar-sweetened beverages on a typical day.
An adolescent male who consumes the average amount of sugar-sweetened beverages per day of 356 calories would need to jog for an hour or walk for more than three hours to burn off these excess calories, lead author Dr. Y. Claire Wang.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, also showed that children ages 6 to 11 consumed 20 percent more calories from sugar-sweetened beverages in 1999 to 2004 compared with the 1988 to 1994 period.
The study also noted a more rapid increase in sugar-sweetened beverages calorie consumption among African-American and Mexican-American youth.
