Watch out for those SSBs!

I was flipping through the July/August '09 Women's Health Magazine the other day when I saw this headline that caught my eye:

Think Before You Drink: Kicking Your Liquid-Sugar Habit May be the Easiest Route to a Flatter Body
The story came from an article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition back in May. I went to the journal article for the details, since I prefer to peruse the 'sciencey' version over the dumbed down one....I've always been a nerd! Anyway, the study followed 810 PREMIER trial participants, which was a large randomized, controlled behavioural intervention trial that took place over an 18-month period. The participants' heights, weights and 24 dietary recall information was recorded at baseline, 6 months and 18 months.

The results as reported in the study's summary:

Baseline mean intake of liquid calories was 356 kcal/d (19% of total energy intake). After potential confounders and intervention assignment were controlled for, a reduction in liquid calorie intake of 100 kcal/d was associated with a weight loss of 0.25 kg at 6 months and of 0.24 kg 18 months. A reduction in liquid calorie intake had a stronger effect than did a reduction in solid calorie intake on weight loss. Of the individual beverages, only intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) was significantly associated with weight change. A reduction in SSB intake of 1 serving/d was associated with a weight loss of 0.49 kg at 6 months and of 0.65 kg at 18 months

Shocked? You shouldn't be! It has been suggested that Almost 1 in 4 calories in the North American diet come from liquids. And as I've mentioned in previous posts before its the sheer volume of high calorie liquids that are doing people in. The results of this study are by no means profound, but they do point to a major contributor to the obesity crisis that is often under-emphasized. People think obesity and associate it with all the fattening & sweet foods we eat, but often forget about liquids all together. In my experience with nutritional screening, I often have to prompt for information on beverages. We are good at remembering that we ate a burger and fries, but somehow forget about that milkshake!

And the role that reducing SSBs for weight loss makes sense! When attempting to lose weight, its recommended that you cut calories & increase physical activity such that your combined reduction is 500 calories. If you cut 2-355mL cans of Coca-Cola from your daily intake you'd reduce your calories by 280 kcals....combine that with a 30 minute jog or long walk and you'd be on your way! For fun check out Sugar Stacks webpage which illustrates just how much sugar is in Coca-Cola and other beverages!

In summary, by no means am I suggesting that we need to avoid SSBs all together. I'm a fan of the treats as much as the next person! It's a matter of being aware that just because you don't chew something doesn't mean it doesn't count in your daily allowance! I'll finish this post with a list of a few of my favourite Summer-time SSBs that I've been know to indulge in every now and again! While they aren't low in calories, you will notice that I choose a small serving size and reduce the sugar & fat contents wherever possible!

Medium Tim Hortons Ice Cappuccino (made with milk) - 220 kcals
Medium Second Cup Italian Soda - 190 kcals
Tall Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Creme (no whip) - 290 kcals
Tall Starbucks Passion Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade - 100 kcals