Pediatricians, heart association call for regulations on sugary drinks

Two of the nation's most prominent health organizations issued a joint policy statement on Monday endorsing widespread public health regulations to help reduce the amount of sugary drinks that kids consume.

The statement, issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American Heart Association (AHA), will be published in the April issue of Pediatrics. It calls for additional taxes across the country on sugary beverages and limits on marketing of these drinks to children, as well as making drinks like water and milk the default beverages on children's menu and ensuring access to healthy foods through federal nutrition assistance programs.

"As a nation we have to say 'no' to the onslaught of marketing of sugary drinks to our children," said Rachel K. Johnson, professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Vermont and former chair of the AHA's nutrition committee, in a statement. "We know what works to protect kids' health and it's time we put effective policies in place that bring down rates of sugary drink consumption just like we've done with tobacco."

Muth recommended three ways parents can help:

Starting at a young age, make water and milk the only available drinks for your kids. Eliminate sugary drinks at home, if possible, and give kids a fun, refillable water bottle that they can carry with them wherever they go. Parents should be role models by not consuming sugary drinks themselves.

Teach kids that water and milk are the norm, even when going out to eat.

Starting at around 7 or 8 years old, kids can start to recognize marketing tactics. Parents should talk to their children about these strategies that companies use to make them buy more drinks.

Jamie Felzer, MD, MPH, is an internal medicine resident from Scripps Clinic in San Diego, California, who is working with the ABC News Medical Unit.