News

Actions

West Michigan groups warn parents about sugary drink intake, health concerns

Posted at 4:15 AM, Aug 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-15 08:08:55-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Two groups in West Michigan are calling for a change and urging families to cut back on their sugar intake.

The American Heart Association is teaming up with Delta Dental to raise awareness about how much sugar is found in popular drinks.

"We did a survey of Michigan residents to ask them what they thought sugary drinks consisted of and very few of them thought that would be things like flavored sports drinks, flavored water, milk that is flavored and sugared, fruit juices in some instances," said Cindy Bouma, Communications Director for the American Heart Association.  "Most of them did not realize that their children are drinking much more of these beverage than they are especially in terms of sports games. It is popular to share them at school, after a basketball game type of thing."

One 20 ounce serving of pop is equivalent to six donuts and 18 cookies.

People living in the United States consume about 34 pound of added sugar every year from the consumption of sugary drinks, according to the American Heart Association.

The another reason the groups are raising awareness is because sugary drinks can lead to health problems such as weight gain, heart disease and tooth decay.