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“We found that children’s milk consumption did decrease between 5th
and 8th grade, but the changes weren’t related to changes in their
consumption of sweetened beverages,” reports lead investigator Reena
Oza-Frank, PhD, RD, in the Center for Perinatal Research of The
Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the
Department of Pediatrics at the Ohio State University in Columbus,
OH. “In addition, regardless of how much sweetened beverages
children consumed, milk and 100% fruit juice were complements in
children’s diets. Children increased or decreased their intake of
both in tandem.” Researchers studied beverage consumption among
7,445 students who were part of the Early Childhood Longitudinal
Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K), a nationally
representative study of children from kindergarten to 8th
grade. The children filled out a food consumption questionnaire in
the 5th and 8th grades that included questions
about how much and how frequently they consumed milk, 100% fruit
juice, and sweetened beverages. Investigators compared the data to
measure changes in consumption over time. The analysis accounted for
demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status and factors
such as public versus private school attendance, whether the child
ate school lunch or breakfast regularly, and whether the child
received free or reduced-price lunch at school. Other nutrition
indicators included were changes in consumption of vegetables,
fruits, and fast food.
Overall, children’s reported caloric drink servings per week fell
significantly between 5th and 8th grade. Milk
consumption fell while consumption of 100% fruit juice increased,
regardless of sweetened beverage consumption. Milk consumption fell
more among children who drank any sweetened beverages than among
those who drank none. The decline in milk consumption was even
larger among children who drank sweetened beverages daily; that
group drank an average two fewer glasses of milk in the 8th
grade than they had in the 5th grade. Children who drank
sweetened beverages were more often male and white. Those who drank
sweetened beverages daily more often attended public school, ate
school lunch or breakfast regularly, and received a free or reduced
price school lunch.
However, controlling for demographic and nutrition
characteristics, changes in children’s milk and juice consumption
were not significantly related to changes in their consumption of
sweetened beverages over time, indicating that sweetened beverages
did not replace other caloric beverages in children’s diets.
Children who increased their milk consumption also increased their
juice consumption over the three-year period, indicating that milk
and juice are complements, not substitutes, in children’s diets.
“Analysis of multiple subpopulations indicates that milk and juice
consumption increased or decreased in tandem for most children,”
says Dr. Oza-Frank.
Of concern, Dr. Oza-Frank notes, is that as children increase
their intake of one high caloric beverage, they also increase their
intake of others. “It’s important for [food and nutrition
practitioners] to help children and families understand that caloric
beverages, even those that are generally healthful, contribute to
children’s total calorie intake and must be moderated as a part of a
healthy diet,” she says.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Research
Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Agnes Scott College,
and Emory University and was funded by the National Institute of
Child Health & Human Development.
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