A new study published in the journal Pediatric Obesity found that youth in the U.S. who consumed low-calorie or zero-calorie sweetened beverages took in about 200 extra calories a day and more calories from added sugars, compared to those who drank water.
“So 200 calories is quite a bit,” said Allison Sylvetsky, an assistant professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and the lead author on the study.
“It’s the equivalent of about a candy bar, and that is a substantially higher calorie intake.”
What was more surprising to the researchers, however, was that the group that drank both zero- or low-calorie sweetened beverages and some sugar-sweetened beverages consumed more overall calories than the group that just drank sugar-sweetened beverages.
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