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According to the FTC, in 2006, the carbonated beverage industry spent $492 million marketing directly to youth.

Reasons to Join the Challenge

There are many reasons to join the challenge to reduce sugary drink consumption. Here's just a few of them:

• More than two-thirds of American adults and one in three children are overweight or obese.


• Health-care costs related to obesity total about $150 billion per year.


• Sugary drinks, few of which have any nutritional value, account for half of all added sugars in the average American diet.


• Research has demonstrated a direct relationship between consumption of sugary drinks and an increase in the risk of overweight and obesity, which in turn promote diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems.


• Consumption of calories from sugary drinks doubled between 1977 and 2002, though consumption has declined somewhat since then; in the mid-1990s, consumption of sugary drinks began to exceed the intake of milk.


• Sugary drinks' empty calories displace calories from foods, such as low-fat milk, that are rich in nutrients.


• The sizes of standard sugary drink containers have exploded in the past decades, expanding from Coca-Cola's 6.5 ounces in the 1950s to 20 ounces today.


• Each additional sugary drink consumed per day increases the likelihood of a child's becoming obese by about 60 percent, according to one study.


• The sugar and acid in soft drinks promote tooth decay and enamel erosion, which are particularly prevalent among low-income and minority youth.


• According to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2006, the carbonated beverage industry spent $492 million marketing directly to youth.


• According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, individuals should drink water instead of sugary drinks. www.choosemyplate.gov

 
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