Sugar and diet drinks linked to fatter children in UK study
What it found
In 13,170 UK children followed from ages 7 to 11, those who drank sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened drinks regularly gained more body fat and BMI.
This was a study following children over time, so it can show a link, not a cause.
What they found
Studies in people
Sugar drinks and body fat
Children who drank sugar-sweetened drinks daily had a greater rise in percentage body fat between ages 7 and 11 than those who drank them rarely. Weekly drinkers also showed a rise.
Sugar drinks and BMI
Weekly and daily sugar-sweetened drink consumption was linked to greater increases in BMI between ages 7 and 11.
Diet drinks and body fat
Daily artificially sweetened drink consumption was linked to a greater rise in percentage body fat between ages 7 and 11. At age 11, weekly and daily consumption were linked to higher body fat.
Diet drinks and BMI
Daily artificially sweetened drink consumption was linked to greater BMI increases between ages 7 and 11. At age 11, weekly and daily consumption were linked to higher BMI.
Who drank more
Boys were more likely than girls to drink sugar-sweetened drinks weekly. South Asian children were more likely to drink them weekly than White children, but less likely to drink artificially sweetened ones.
Other habits
Children who skipped breakfast or watched two or more hours of TV on weekdays were more likely to drink both types of sweetened drink.
What the authors conclude
“Consumption of SSBs and ASBs was associated with BMI and percentage body fat increases in UK children.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened drink consumption was associated with increases in body fat in pre-adolescent children.
- They advise that obesity prevention strategies which encourage swapping sugar-sweetened drinks for artificially sweetened ones may not give the benefits intended.
- They call for this area to be a focus for further research.
How it was done
Policies to cut sugar-sweetened drinks may push children towards artificially sweetened ones. The authors wanted to see whether those drinks are linked to weight gain in a large, nationally representative group of UK children.
They followed 13,170 children in the UK Millennium Cohort Study, measured at ages 7 and 11 (in 2008 and 2012). Caregivers reported how often the children drank sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened drinks, and trained interviewers measured height, weight and body fat.
What it can’t tell you
- This study followed children over time, so it can show a link between drinks and body fat, not that the drinks caused the changes.
- Drink consumption was reported by caregivers, and other diet and lifestyle factors may explain part of the link.
- The authors note that heavier children may have switched to artificially sweetened drinks, which could partly explain the findings.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Department of Health (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Imperial College London, United Kingdom
The paper
- Title
- Sugar and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and adiposity changes: National longitudinal study
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Laverty AA, Magee L, Monteiro CA, Saxena S, Millett C (2015). Sugar and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and adiposity changes: National longitudinal study. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity. doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0297-yFree full textPubMed 26503493DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error