Obesity is a major epidemic for developed countries in the 21st century. The main cause of obesity is energy imbalance, of which contributing factors include a sedentary lifestyle, epigenetic factors and excessive caloric intake through food and beverages. A high consumption of caloric beverages, such as alcoholic or sweetened drinks, may particularly contribute to weight gain, and lower satiet...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of obesity among Australian pre-school children is a major concern with links to poor health outcomes. One contributing factor is excess energy intake. Sugar-sweetened beverages are energy-dense, nutrient-poor, readily available and have been implicated in the increasing prevalence of obesity. Furthermore, preschooler beverage consumption may develop into dietary habit...

BACKGROUND Artificially sweetened (AS) and sugar-sweetened (SS) beverages are commonly consumed during pregnancy. A recent Danish study reported that the daily intake of an AS beverage was associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery. OBJECTIVE We examined the intake of AS and SS beverages in pregnant women to replicate the Danish study and observe whether AS intake is indeed associa...

INTRODUCTION The increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been implicated in the increased incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome Little of the research on sugar-sweetened beverage intake has examined the consumption patterns of sugared beverages by college students, despite the vulnerabilities of this population to weight gain. The current study sought to characterize...

OBJECTIVE To examine the dietary and activity correlates of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption by children in middle and high school. METHODS Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey of 15,283 children in middle and high schools in Texas. Consumption of sodas and noncarbonated flavored and sports beverages (FSBs) were examined separately for their associations with the level of (1) ...

OBJECTIVES To examine whether changes in parent motivation over the course of a pediatric obesity intervention are significantly associated with long-term changes in treatment outcomes.  METHODS  Study hypotheses were tested with a secondary data analysis of a randomized controlled trial (N = 42). Study analyses tested whether baseline to posttreatment change in total score for a self-report ...

The majority of the UK population is either overweight or obese. A high intake of sugary beverages has been suspected to be one of the contributing factors to excess weights. Health economists, nutritionists and doctors are calling for the UK to follow the example of other European countries and introduce a tax on soft drinks. This study uses household level scanner data on beverage purchases i...

OBJECTIVE Knowledge of the types and quantities of foods and drinks available in family homes supports the development of targeted intervention programmes for obesity prevention or management, or for overall diet improvement. In the UK, contemporary data on foods that are available within family homes are lacking. The present study aimed to explore home food and drink availability in UK homes. ...