Washington, June 14: Recent studies opine that age, race and gender are linked with the types and amounts of beverage choices that kids and teenagers make. And all those losing sleep over gaining calories through beverage intake, hold on, because there is no link proven between soda consumption and obesity.
A new study of federal nutrition data by researchers at Virginia Tech`s Center for Food and Nutrition Policy has proved that there has been no link proven between soda consumption and overweight.

Simply put, although there was no direct bearing on obesity, overweight children did consume more diet soft drinks. This goes on to suggest that carbonated soft drinks are not only responsible for the increased numbers of overweight children and adolescents.

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The study revealed that beverage choices are highly specific to race and ethnicity. While young boys and girls of all ethnicities
drink more milk than any other beverage, African-American children drink less milk than white or Hispanic children.

"Our study shows how strongly associated age, race and gender are with what beverages our children consume. Overall, white children and adolescents drink more beverages than their African-American counterparts," Maureen L storey, research associate professor said.

A surprising find was that African-American adolescent girls drank few beverages as a whole and hardly any milk, in particular. Raising concerns for future bone health, this explained that calcium-rich dairy products may be important in reducing the risk of hypertension, a serious condition highly prevalent in African-Americans.

Milk consumption which takes a beating during adolescence, is however, the second most consumed beverage (on a gram basis), following carbonated soft drinks. Older teens tend to drink more carbonated beverages, fruit drinks, and citrus juice, and less fluid milk and non-citrus juice. Bureau Report