A new study is suggesting recent state policies that eliminate junk food from school concessions has been successful, but more so with black students.
Daily soda consumption has dropped twice as much with black students. Overall consumption of soda in the states with junk food bans has dropped by an average of .09 servings of soda each day. However, among black students is dropped .19 servings per day.
“Soda is widely considered to be a contributor to the increase in obesity because it has been associated with excess energy intake and weight gain” wrote the study’s authors. “It became a larger source of energy intake among adolescents during the same period that obesity prevalence increased.”
The bad news is that even with this reduction in soda consumption, the students’ body mass indices (BMIs) did not change. The students are only consuming 50 less calories each day, which may account for the lack of change in weight. Researchers also think that the students may be compensating elsewhere for the drop in calorie intake.
No reason was given as to why the policy changes affected black students more, just that it did. The study also have limitations due to the fact that soda consumption habits and height and weight were self-reported by the students.
(via: MyHealthNewsDaily)
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