How much parents really know about the drinks they hand their children was the subject of a new study out of Cambridge University. Sugary drinks are the number one cause of added sugar in American's diets according to the USDA. These products contribute few or no essential nutrients to ones body and contribute to 41% of all added sugar consumed.
This study from The University of Bordeaux found that sugar is more addictive for rats who were formerly addicted to cocaine and presented with both options. The study states:
"Overconsumption of sugar-dense foods or beverages is initially motivated by the pleasure of sweet taste and is often compared to drug addiction."
They continue:
"Here we report that when rats were allowed to choose mutually-exclusively between water sweetened with saccharin–an intense calorie-free sweetener–and intravenous cocaine–a highly addictive and harmful substance–the large majority of animals (94%) preferred the sweet taste of saccharin."
This current reports aim was to compare what parents bought for their children to what they considered healthy, as well as figure out where the misconceptions seemed to lie. The beverage industry has seen a steady decline in soda sales over the years which has corresponded to a rise in alternative "health drinks" from the same companies like flavored water and "fruit" enhanced drinks.
Many people are concerned the beverage industry is hiding under a facade of health while creating products that seem healthier but have the same nutritional value as soda, only minus the carbonation.
The results section of the study states this about fruit drinks:
"Misperceptions about fruit drinks were especially problematic. Four out of five parents in the survey with children under 12 years of age reported providing these products for their children, even though these drinks contain the same amount of sugar on average as regular soda and typically contain 10 % fruit juice or less."
Christopher Gindlesperger, senior director of public affairs for the American Beverage Association told USA Today,
"This is just the latest report coming out of an institution with a long history of bashing beverages, and it undermines parents' ability to make decisions themselves."
More than 95 percent of 900 participants had said they bought sugary drinks for their children in the previous month. The perceived healthiness of specific brands in many cases out performed the brand category.
"In particular, it appears that parents may select Vitamin Water, Sunny D, Red Bull, Capri Sun Roarin’ Waters and Snapple because they believe that they are nutritious options for their child. Of note, in a lawsuit against Vitamin Water, the company’s defense stated, ‘No consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitamin Water was a healthy beverage’ . Yet 51 % of parents in the current sample purchased Vitamin Water for their child and 78 % of those who purchased it rated it as healthy."
The author of the study, Jennifer Harris, is concerned about the knowledge of these products being affected by their marketing:
“The labeling and marketing for these products imply that they are nutritious, and these misperceptions may explain why so many parents buy them,” said