Substitution Patterns Can Limit the Effects of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes on Obesity

Dramatic increases in obesity and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption over the past several decades have become major public health and clinical concerns. Obesity rates tripled in 30 years, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among children more than doubled in the last 2 decades of the twentieth century (1). Many children drink more sugar-sweetened beverages than milk, and sugar-sweetened beverages represent the largest category of daily caloric intake (7%–12%) for many demographic groups (1). Emerging evidence suggests that increasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages raises weight and obesity rates.