Soft drinks consumption: Relationship with overweight and obesity

The parallel progression in obesity prevalence and consumption of soft drinks in US has been a matter of concern for scientific authorities. In France, soft drinks consumption has been growing during past decades even if in lesser proportions than in North America. Due to multiple biases, observational epidemiology does not allow firm conclusions on a relationship between soft drinks consumption and overweight. Intervention studies in normal subjects show that excessive consumption of soft drinks during short periods of time (3 to 12 weeks) are followed by modest but significant weight gain (0.2 kg/1000 kJ). Educational programs in primary school setting aimed at reducing soft drinks have limited impact, mostly due to their limited ability to change consumption habits. However some data are suggesting that children the more at risk (i.e. those who are overweight and regular soft drinks consumers) can benefit from nutritional intervention. Other studies are certainly needed for a better understanding of the relationships between soft drink consumption and overweight. © 2012 Société française de nutrition. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.