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A study published in a recent issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests that replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water can trim an average of 235 calories from a child's daily calorie intake, Reuters reports. Using data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health examined the diets of over 3,000 children ages 2 to 19 on two separate days. According to the data, each additional 8-ounce serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage was associated with a daily increase of 106 calories. The researchers also observed increases in daily calorie intake when children were provided with additional servings of whole milk, reduced-fat milk and 100 percent juice, although they noted that these drinks provide other nutritional benefits that sugar-sweetened beverages do not. However, the researchers found no discernible increase in daily caloric intake when children consumed water or diet beverages. The researchers then determined that each 1 percent drop in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption accounted for 6.6 fewer calories in a child's daily diet, amounting to an average reduction of 235 calories per day if all sugar-sweetened beverages were replaced with water. In addition, the researchers found no evidence suggesting children increase consumption of other foods or beverages to compensate for drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages. They conclude that reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages could effectively reduce or prevent unhealthy weight gain. C. Tracy Orleans, senior scientist and distinguished fellow at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, noted that "reversing the rise in childhood obesity requires finding approaches like this to close the gap between daily energy intake and daily energy expenditure.” She added that "changes such as this one can potentially add up to significant benefits for the population as a whole" (Fox, Reuters, 4/6/09; Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health release, 4/7/09; Wang et al., Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, April 2009 [subscription required]). (Editor's Note: This study was supported in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.)