Nutrients, energy values and health impact of conventional beverages

In the last few decades there has been a significant growth in the availability of beverages globally. Concurrently there have been shifts in consumption of different beverages among adults and children. Commercial beverages such as sugar-sweetened beverages, milk, and other sweetened beverages are increasing in popularity. Several studies in developed countries have showed that energy intake from beverages is increasing in recent decades. Some of those studies reported that additional energy from sugar-sweetened beverages exceeds the international recommendation of energy intake from added sugars. This might be due to the fact that calories from beverages have less of an effect in the reduction of satiety compared to calories from food. This may lead to overconsumption of energy, obesity, and even metabolic disturbances, which can impact on risk factors for chronic disease and ultimately health outcomes. This chapter discusses recent trends in beverage consumption including caffeinated beverages; milk and milk products; fruit and vegetables juices, sugar-sweetened beverages, and alcoholic drinks. In this chapter, the nutritional contents of these beverages and contribution to total dietary intake are expanded upon. This chapter also highlights the current evidence for the beneficial and detrimental effects that these groups of beverages have on health.