Soft Drinks Linked to Weight Gain
The most compelling studies showed that, on days when people drink soft drinks, they consumed more calories than on the days when they did not have soft drinks.
12/03/07 Because they don't eat less, people who get extra "liquid calories" from soft drinks gain extra weight, an analysis of 88 soda studies suggests.
The finding comes from researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. Study co-author Marlene B. Schwartz, Ph.D., is research director of the Rudd Center.
"We found quite a clear association between soft-drink intake and taking in more calories," Schwartz tells WebMD. "The most compelling studies showed that, on days when people drink soft drinks, they consumed more calories than on the days when they did not have soft drinks."
Why? Schwartz says the simplest explanation is that people don't compensate for the extra calories in sodas. A person who has a hamburger and a soda, for example, doesn't eat less of his or her hamburger, or fewer fries, than a person who washes the burger down with water.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/08/health/webmd/main2551429.shtml
