http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Londo.../24/434203.html

EMMA ROSS, AP 2004-04-24 03:11:42

LONDON -- School programs discouraging carbonated drinks appear to be effective in reducing obesity among children, a study suggests. A high intake of sweetened carbonated drinks probably contributes to childhood obesity and there is a growing movement against soft drinks in schools. But until now, there have been no studies showing efforts to cut children's soft drink consumption would do any good.

The study, outlined this week on the website of the British Medical Journal, found a one-year "ditch the fizz" campaign discouraging both sweetened and diet soft drinks led to a decrease in the percentage of elementary school children who were overweight or obese.

The improvement occurred after a modest reduction in consumption -- less than a can a day.

Representatives of the soft drink industry contested the implications of the results.

The study "reduced the average daily consumption of carbonated soft drinks by about 150 millilitres, or 35 calories -- half the reduction was in diet carbonated soft drinks. This represents about two per cent of a child's calorie intake, not a significant amount," the British Soft Drink Association said in a statement.

The group said carbonated drinks provide only a fraction of children's daily calories and therefore should not be blamed for an epidemic in childhood obesity.

However, other experts were impressed.

"If a simple targeted message aimed at kids can decrease development of obesity, by whatever means, that's groundbreaking," said Dr. David Ludwig, who runs a pediatric obesity clinic at Children's Hospital in Boston.

Previous studies of anti-obesity school programs -- some costing millions of dollars -- have been disappointing. Such programs, which included reducing dietary fat or trying to get kids to exercise more, largely failed to show any meaningful impact.

The investigators studied 644 children, ages seven to 11, in six primary schools in Christchurch, England, during the 2001-2002 school year. Half the classes participated in a program discouraging both regular and diet sodas and stressing the benefits of a healthy diet, while the other half did not.

The percentage of overweight and obese children increased by 7.5 per cent in the group that did not participate and dipped by 0.2 per cent in the group that did.