Soft drinks linked to obesity: study

People who consume soft drink are significantly more likely to be overweight and sip more of the sugary beverage than their healthy counterparts, research reveals.

An analysis of two government surveys in Western Australia and South Australia has found about 23 per cent of people drink soft drink every day.

In both surveys, men were more likely than women to have a soft drink, and beverage consumption decreased with age.

Curtin University researcher Christina Pollard said people who drank diet refreshments were more likely to be overweight, but overweight and obese people were also more likely to be soft drink consumers.

People of a healthy weight drank about 80ml of soft drink a day, while obese people drank up to 152ml.

Ms Pollard told the Public Health Association of Australia conference in Perth on Monday that interventions to limit soft drink consumption needed to be developed.

She said consumption increased during the warmer months and after a growth in brands' spending on advertising.

Young people in particular were not aware of the consequences of drinking sugary beverages, which could cause weight gain, tooth erosion and poor dietary quality when consumed in excess, Ms Pollard said.

Add a Comment