Beverages People Drinking Sugar Sweetened Children Reducing Access Young

"Sugar-sweetened beverages" (drinks made sweeter with sugar) are the largest source of added sugars in the "diet" (what people eat and drink each day) of U.S. "youth" (children and teenagers). Drinking these beverages increases the "intake" (putting into the body) of "calories" (units of energy for the body), which "contributes to" (adds to) "obesity" (being very fat or overweight) among youth across the country.

In the United States, childhood obesity has more than "tripled" (multiplied by three; x 3) in the past 30 years. In recent "decades" (periods of 10 years), drinking of sugar-sweetened beverages among children and teenagers has also increased. A national 2010 "survey" (questionnaire; piece of research) showed that although water, milk, and 100% fruit juice were the beverages most commonly "consumed" (drunken) during the seven days before the survey, daily drinking of regular soda, sports drinks, and other sugar-sweetened drinks were also very common.

Parents should help children and teenagers to make healthy beverage choices by making available or only buying certain drinks at the store. By doing this, parents can encourage their children to drink water and low-fat or fat-free milk, and/or limited amounts of 100% fruit juices.

Since young people spend a "significant portion" (large part) of each "weekday" (Monday through Friday) in school, making sure that healthy beverage choices are available-and that less "nutritious" (good for the body) ones are not-is "critical" (very important). "Implementing" (establishing) school "policies" (rules) that "restrict" (limit) access to sugar-sweetened beverages is an especially important for reducing childhood obesity and improving students' nutritional health.