Practical Practitioner

By: Pamela Egan, FNP-C CDE

Too many soft drinks may be harmful to children

I saw a 3-year-old in my office last week for the first time. She had a history of chronic urinary tract infections. During the assessment it was determined that the child only drank coke. There was no evidence of sexual abuse, bubble baths or any other causes of UTI’s. Her mother stated that she would not drink water, milk, juice or other fluids. When the child was told that she could not drink any more coke, but must drink plenty of water, she started crying and throwing a temper tantrum. The child’s soft drink intake may be the stepping-stone to such diseases as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. The American Heart Association has just released new guidelines on preventing heart disease in children. Obesity in children has doubled in the last 20 years. Obese children have an increased risk of heart disease due to high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes. Cholesterol screening is now recommended starting at age 2. Medication is recommended for children over 10 with an LDL (bad cholesterol) of greater than 190mg/dL or greater than 160mg/dL with two additional risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and sedentary lifestyle.

Blood pressure monitoring should start at age 3. Medication is recommended for kids with consistently high blood pressure. Diabetes is more likely in sedentary, overweight children and those with a family history of type 2 diabetes. Children with fasting blood glucose greater than 126mg/dL should be treated with medication. Now that these new recommendations have been released, it’s a good time to take a look at the candy our kids consume; it’s time to take a look at soft drinks.

According to the Soft Drink Industry Bottling Council, the average American now drinks 54 gallons of soft drinks per person per year. The typical can of soda contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons a day of added sugar from soft drinks alone.

The consumption rates among children have doubled in the last decade and show no signs of slowing down. For every can of soda pop our kids drink, they are not drinking something else, like milk, or juice or even water. They aren’t giving their bodies the nutrients they need for healthy growth.

Childhood obesity is a rapidly growing problem in all western countries and according to the Department of Medicine at Children’s Hospital in Boston and the Harvard School of Public Health, a child’s odds of becoming obese increases by 60 percent with each daily serving of sugar-sweetened drinks. The results of a study, led by David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, director of the obesity program at Boston Children’s Hospital, suggest that the link between soft drink consumption and obesity is independent of food intake, television viewing and physical activity. Besides contributing to obesity, increased soda consumption among children can lead to heart disease, tooth decay and weak bones.

This article was originally published November 25, 2002 in The St. Tammany News.

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