Reduced Soda Intake Helps Cut Weight

I can't help but feel like saying "duh" when I read this one. A study by Boston researchers found that reducing teenagers' intake of sugary drinks can lead to weight loss.

The Children's Hospital Boston study, published in the March issue of Pediatrics, found that providing teens with bottled water or artificially-sweetened beverages lead to a marked decrease in body mass index.

The study, led by Cara Ebbeling and David Ludwig, in the hospital's Division of Endocrinology, enrolled 103 children aged 13 to 18 through a Boston area high school. The teens were offered a $100 mall gift certificate if they stuck with the six-month study, and all did.

Ebbeling calculates that a single 12-oz sugar-sweetened beverage per day translates to about 1 pound of weight gain over 3 to 4 weeks. The only question mark I have is what was the activity level? Thinking back to when I was in high school, we actually had Pepsi machines on the school grounds (gasp!) They brought in great revenue, and 20 years ago we didn't seem to have the weight problems that are around today. Of course, we had PE every day, and it seems like PE is usually first among budget cuts in schools. Of course, they can mandate students having a "community service project" but heaven forbid if they can get some exercise. (Man, am I grumpy today or what?)