Study Links Sweetened Drinks to Child Obesity

Sweet sodas, bottled teas and fruit drinks can make children fat, researchers said.

Children who drank more than 12 ounces of sweetened drinks a day gained significantly more weight over two months than children who drank less than 6 ounces a day, Cornell University nutritionists found.

The soft drink industry argues that a lack of exercise and not the availability of drinks has increased obesity.

But the study of 30 children aged 6 to 12 found that they took in an average of 244 more calories a day on days when they drank sweetened beverages.