UPDATE, February 22, 2012: A new bill, AB 1746 by Assembly member Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara), at left, is making another legislative attempt (see below: previously reported) to ban sugar-sweetened sports drinks in middle and high schools, reports Joshua Molina of the Daily Sound.
If signed into law, AB 1746 would take effect in July 2013.
According to Williams, 8 out of 10 drinks sold on schools campuses are sports drinks containing 14g of sugar per 32 oz drink. Sports drinks are already banned from elementary schools and soda has been prohibited on all school campuses since July 2007.
California Center for Public Health (CCPHA) and the California Medical Association (CMA) sponsored the bill:
“Sports drinks are an inappropriate option for California students,” said Dr. Harold Goldstein, CCPHA executive director. “They were designed for athletes who have been sweating for an hour or more, not for children as they walk across campus or eat their lunch. Williams’ bill will close a loophole that has allowed the beverage industry to continue using California public schools to sell products that contribute to childhood obesity and diabetes".
James T. Hay, M.D., CMA President, agrees: "There is a common misconception that sports drinks, also known as “electrolyte replacement beverages," are healthy, yet many contain high fructose corn syrup and/or other calorie-laden sweeteners that have been linked to the rise in childhood obesity, the primary cause of type-2 diabetes".
However, a November 2011 study, published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found the prevalence of students drinking soda and sweetened beverages to be no less in states with laws banning these drinks on school campuses, and concluded that the impact of public health policies that ban sugar-sweetened beverages in schools to be minimal.
From the LA Times, Karen Kaplan reports (November 11, 2011):
The researchers looked at 40 states; 22 of them had no policy governing sales of sugary drinks in middle schools, 11 forbid sales of soda only, and seven banned all manner of sugar-sweetened beverages, including sports drinks and fruit drinks (but not 100% fruit juices). In all three categories, the prevalence of obesity was essentially the same, ranging from 22.3% to 22.6%. In addition, 83% to 87% of students from all categories drank sugar-sweetened beverages at least once a week, and 26% to 33% of them drank sugar-sweetened beverages at least once a day.
Among the other findings:
- Surprisingly, students who were subjected to some kind of sugar-sweetened beverage rule at school were actually more likely to consume sugary drinks on a daily basis.
- The one bright spot: Students who didn’t drink soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages on a regular basis were even less likely to do so if their school had any sort of regulation in place.
Previously reported:
This morning the State Senate passed SB 1255, authored by Senator Alex Padilla (D-
Van Nuys), which prohibits the sale of sugar sweetened sports drinks on public middle school and high school campuses statewide.
The bill, also sponsored by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, is part of a continuing effort to fight childhood obesity in California and nationwide. Padilla stressed that the bill would not prohibit student athletes from consuming sports drinks during after-school activities.
Sales of the same type of drinks are already prohibited in public elementary schools state wide, and sodas have been absent from all public schools since 2007.
SB passed by a 21-11 vote and now moves onto the Assembly.
About time....our kids don't deserve to get fatter and fatter and die at an early age.
Posted by: Fragonzal | 05/27/2010 at 06:39 PM
On the other hand, I'd like to see caffeine be available to kids. We start high school before adolescents are awake, so we should allow those who need caffeine to self-medicate. Pills, coffee, Red-Bull, diet Coke, I don't care.
Posted by: CDRealist | 05/28/2010 at 02:45 PM