The new study used data from three previous studies: the Nurses' Health Study, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Women's Genome Health Study. Researchers looked at questionnaires on the frequency of sweetened beverage consumption, including soda and juice. Researchers also used participant body mass index (BMI). Obesity was defined as a BMI above 30.
Researchers performed genetic analysis to determine known genetic markers of obesity. Based on the number of markers, participants received a score indicating their genetic risk of obesity.
Individuals who drank one or more sweetened beverages daily had a significantly higher genetic obesity risk than individuals who consumed one sweetened beverage monthly.
Researchers stated that obesity is a complex interaction between genetics and diet. More research is warranted.
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This is a case of which came first, the chicken or the egg. Did the sweetened drinks alter their genetic disposition for obesity, or do their genetics make them crave sweetened drinks? Although, people naturally have different body types, I do not believe that anybody is naturally obese.
Posted by: SB | March 10, 2013 at 11:59 PM
This is no surprise to hear. Obesity is a major problem among children and adults in the US today. With unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise, it’s important that we gain knowledge in this area, so that we can keep people informed and prevent bad habits from continuing.
Posted by: ac | December 14, 2012 at 10:44 PM
Yikes, I drink a cup or two of juice a day. This is very interesting, but as they stated obesity is multi-factorial. Kids do drink a lot of juice, so I wonder how this information will impact parents. It seems like cutting back to one juice drink a month may be hard.
Posted by: ML | November 19, 2012 at 10:46 AM
Although America has been exposed to so many diet foods in the 21st century, more than 50% of us are overweight or obese, and this percentage is increasing as we speak. Soft drink cups at fast food restaurants are much larger than what they were 20 years ago, and multiple attempts at limiting sweetened beverage/fast food consumption (i.e. limiting the soft drink cup size at fast food restaurants, fast food/soft drink tax etc.) have not been successful. I just thought that drinking a lot of sweetened beverages would add to my daily caloric consumption, but had no idea that it would affect my genetic obesity makeup. I will think twice about picking up that 500 calorie frosty coffee drink with whipped cream and caramel drizzle next time!
Posted by: nb | October 25, 2012 at 11:52 AM
I think this was a well done study that did show significance between genetic risk, intake of sweetened beverages and obesity. With the availability of super-sized sweetened drinks, studies like this, linking sweetened beverages to obesity, are needed to make the public aware of the dangers of over consuming these beverages. It might seem like common sense to most but most people do not know or believe the risk that over consumption of sweetened beverages can cause. I think this study, along with a few others, really can help open the eyes of the public in educating them on the importance of dietary habits.
Posted by: nh | October 12, 2012 at 12:05 PM
Hopefully the results of this study will help people reconsider their sugary drink intake. Soda, including diet soda, has been shown to be terrible for blood sugar and body weight. Despite the data, it continues to be difficult to convince people to change their soda-drinking habits. I did not realize New York has banned soft drinks greater than 16oz; I think this is a brilliant idea. People get out of hand with their giant sodas, and companies like McDonalds don't make it any easier for us when they sell all sizes of soft drinks for the same price.
Posted by: zw | October 11, 2012 at 08:56 PM
This is an interesting finding in light of the recent New York soda ban of soft drinks larger than 16 ounces, in addition to soda taxes across the nation. This study and many others make it clear that excess sugar consumption has negative health effects. However, it is still controversial regarding whether the government should control soda consumption, or individuals should be held accountable for their own health.
Posted by: Angela | October 05, 2012 at 04:53 PM
This is a very well done study, and brings an interesting link into the spotlight. Sugar-sweetened drinks have long been associated with weight gain and lower blood sugar control due to their high calorie and sugar content. Before reading this article, I had not seen these drinks linked to genetic changes leading to obesity. This is a breakthrough I would not have expected, that is going to open many more doors for further research in the areas of obesity and blood sugar control. It would be interesting to see if diet drinks have any sort of similar link, as I have several patients with weight control issues that drink a lot of diet soda. Great article!
Posted by: tw | October 05, 2012 at 01:28 PM
This will continue to be a much debated topic - obesity and genetics or environment? Surely there are many contributing factors, high intake of sugars being one of them. I believe focusing on one factor may contribute our society of looking for the silver bullet in solving the nation's obesity problem.
Posted by: My Lien | October 05, 2012 at 12:44 PM
I can't imagine that people will stay away from sweetened beverages. I wonder what the life style was like for people who were included in the study and whether that would have made any change in the results of the study. Moreover, people from different races have different genetic makeup so one race may have higher genetic risk for obesity than the others.
Posted by: ss | October 02, 2012 at 04:46 PM