Childhood obesity is consistently rising since the last 40 years and is becoming an alarming public health concern. Longitudinal epidemiologic studies indicated that children with high body mass index (BMI) have a strong chance of becoming obese adults and they are at increased risk for a range of serious conditions that were previously never observed in children and also for premature cardiovascular disease in adult life. One of the explanations for this rising obesity epidemic in children and adolescents is the concurrent increase in sugar intake that comes principally from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Several studies have shown that lifelong food preferences and eating patterns develop in infancy and childhood. Limiting excessive exposure to SSBs should be considered during this critical time period. Moreover, high added sugar consumption in the form of SSBs is associated with a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, a high consumption of SSBs has been found to promote the development of obesity and to induce metabolic alterations in lipids, blood pressure, insulin resistance and inflammation, and consequently increase cardiovascular disease risk. Based on these findings, it is more and more indicated to target consumption of SSBs to prevent and reduce childhood obesity.
Documentation centre