According to the results of a nationwide survey of over 11,000 high school students in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, “one in four high school students drink soda every day – a sign fewer teens are downing the sugary drinks.”
The AP reports that, the survey also found that teens drink “water, milk and fruit juices most often – a pleasant surprise, because researchers weren’t certain that was the case.”
Still, about 25 percent “have at least one soda each day.
And when other sugary drinks like Gatorade are also counted, the figure is closer to two-thirds of high school students drinking a sweetened beverage every day.”
CNN “The Chart” blog reported that the CDC survey found that only 15 percent of high school students get the one hour of daily aerobic exercise recommended by health officials.
“Although 51% of students do engage in muscle-strengthening exercise (such as push-ups or weight lifting) at least three days a week, as guidelines recommend, the overall picture is less than ideal. ‘Regular physical activity has so many benefits to kids,’” said CDC researcher MinKyoung Song, Ph.D., “who coauthored a report analyzing the survey results. ‘Not doing enough can lead to numerous problems later in life, like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.’”
On its website, CBS News reports, “A 2010 study in the journal Diabetes Care found daily soda drinkers were 25 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.”
In addition, “phosphoric acid, a main ingredient in soda, has been linked to bone loss in those getting more of the chemical than calcium, according to a report in WebMD.
Too much caffeine has also been associated with bone loss, in addition to insomnia, high blood pressure, and headaches.
Bloomberg News reports, “About 151,000 people under the age of 20 are diabetic, and type 2 diabetes is a ‘sizable and growing’ problem among US kids, the CDC said.”
So, to reduce you and your family’s risk of overweight, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteopenia, and osteoporosis cutting out or severely limiting sweetened drinks or sodas is more than wise — it may be life prolonging.
So, what’s safe for our kids to drink? Water and non-fat dairy are at the top of my list of recommendations.
If you’d like tips on improving your family’s nutrition, or on  how to treat or prevent obesity in your family, you may want to pick up a copy of my book, SuperSized Kids: How to protect your child from the obesity threat. While supplies last, I have the softcover and hardcover on sale at my on-line book store.