The solution to the growing threat of childhood obesity may be as simple as a tall glass of water, experts say.

National surveys show that almost 90 percent of children and adolescents in the US drink sugar-sweetened beverages such as colas and sweetened fruit drinks. Some get as much a 10 percent of their total calories in such drinks. If kids between the ages of two and 19 substituted water instead, researchers writing in the April 2009 Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine report, they would eliminate an average of 235 excess calories per day.

That’s a lot of calories. To put it in perspective, consider that a typical 15-year-old boy would need to jog about 30 minutes in order to burn off the 140 calories in a 12-ounce can of soda. He would need to jog almost an hour in order to burn off the excess calories most kids consume in sugary drinks.

“These beverages are nothing more than different forms of sugar water, which kids don’t need.” said Steven Gortmaker, PhD, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and the senior author on the study. “Unless they are running marathons, which we do not recommend for kids, water is the best choice for quenching their thirst. It is also low cost, especially when it comes from a clean tap source.”

Here’s a place where parents can really make a difference. Kids consume up to 70 percent of sweetened beverages at home, according to a 2008 survey by the same research team.

© 2009 PDQhealth

Tags: childhood obesity, liquid calories, sweetened beverages