Soft drinks not so bad for active teens after all, study shows

Moderate consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks has been found to have little effect on adolescents’ metabolic health. University of Missouri (MU) researchers say that their results show that, when teenagers are physically active, short-term, moderate consumption of high-fructose and high-glucose beverages may not be as unhealthy as previously thought.

“These beverages may not be as unhealthy for adolescents as previously thought, provided that kids stay active,” said Jill Kanaley, professor and associate chair in the MU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology.

“That physical activity component is really critical in protecting against some of the negative effects of drinking large amounts of sugar-sweetened drinks demonstrated in previous studies.”

Kanaley’s study measured several aspects of metabolic health, including insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels, after participants had consumed moderate amounts of either high-glucose or high-fructose beverages every day for two weeks. The researchers used armbands with electronic sensors to monitor physical activity of the participants, all of whom were healthy adolescents aged 15-20.

Although some research has shown that consuming sugary drinks can have detrimental metabolic effects, Kanaley said that the results of these studies have been inconsistent. Previous research often has excluded adolescents and did not measure participants’ levels of physical activity.

“Many parents of adolescents worry about their children’s consumption of sweetened beverages,” Kanaley said.

“I certainly would recommend that they work to reduce their children’s intake of sugary drinks, but it also is important for kids to remain active, especially if they are drinking a lot of sugary beverages. In our study, the female adolescents averaged around 8000 steps per day and the males averaged about 10,000 steps per day. These children weren’t athletes, but they had active lifestyles.”

The research was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.