Should There Be Sugar Warning Labels On Drinks?

Parents may be less likely to buy beverages, such as soda for their children if there are warning labels added to the drink for high sugar intake.

According to US News.com, in the new study, lead researcher Christina Roberto and her colleagues conducted a survey online of nearly 2,400 parents who had at least one child aged 6 to 11 years.

In an online shopping experiment that was simulated, parents were divided into six groups to "buy" drinks for their kids. “One group saw no warning label on the beverages they would buy; another saw a label listing calories. The other four groups saw various warning labels about the potential health effects of sugary beverage intake, including weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.”

Only 40 percent of those who looked at the health warning labels chose a sugary drink, and 60 who saw no label chose a sugary drink.

Sugary beverages have as many as seven teaspoons of sugar in a 6.5 ounce serving, or about twice the amount of recommended sugar intake daily for children.

Efforts to change policies are starting to get under way. In California, the state Senate is considering legislation to require warning labels on certain sugary drinks.

This new report comes on the heels of the latest U.S. dietary recommendations, which were released last week. The updated guidelines take specific aim at added sugars and encourage Americans to get less than 10 percent of their daily calories from those sweeteners.

With additional reporting by Sal Lopez