ABSTRACT
Although the prevalence of childhood obesity in the USA has appeared to plateau somewhat in the past decade [1], it has dramatically increased over the past three decades and is on the rise in almost every country [2]. Recent NHANES data show that among children and adolescents, 2-19 years of age, 17% were obese and 32% were overweight in 2009-2010 [1]. Of note, 12.3% were at or above the 97th percentile for BMI, indicating a shift to a greater degree of obesity within our pediatric population. Minority groups are disproportionately affected by overweight and obesity, with 39% of Hispanics and non-Hispanic Black (NHB) children (2-19 years) being overweight compared to 28% of non-Hispanic White (NHW) children [1]. The spread of obesity is also occurring much younger in life, with almost 10% of US children from birth to 2 years of age having high weight-for-recumbent length. Overweight or obese children have a twofold higher risk for becoming overweight as adults [3]. Obesity is a major cause of death and is a contributor to many other types
Key Points ......................................................................................................................................245 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................245 Trends in Consumption of Dietary Sugars in Children ..................................................................246 Intake of Added Sugars and Obesity .............................................................................................. 247 SSB Intake and Obesity ................................................................................................................. 247 Juice Intake and Obesity ................................................................................................................248 Consumption of Dietary Sugars and Metabolic Disease Risk in Children ....................................249 SSB and Obesogenic Environments ..............................................................................................250 Pediatric Interventions Focused on Sugar Reduction ....................................................................250 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 251 References ...................................................................................................................................... 252
of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and various types of cancers. These obesity-related metabolic diseases also disproportionally affect minority pediatric groups [4-7]. This ethnic disparity is partly mediated by lower socioeconomic status (SES), genetics, obesogenic environments, and behaviors. Given that changing SES, genetics, and an established environment is challenging, ample amounts of research have focused on what behaviors, specically dietary behaviors, are most linked to pediatric obesity and related metabolic disorders.
