Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Improves HDL in Children.

Researchers have found that reducing sugar-sweetened beverage intake among schoolchildren by a minimum of one serving per week can improve their HDL (good) cholesterol. They also note that high consumption of these beverages was linked to a lower intake of fruits and vegetables among the same age group. Senior author Jennifer Sacheck comments, “Importantly, not only are most sugar-sweetened beverages high in sugar and devoid of nutritional value, but they are displacing other foods and beverages that offer high nutritional quality, which are critical for children’s growth and development, further exacerbating the potential harmful health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages.”
The Journal of Nutrition, September 2015