Six nutrition experts released new beverage intake guidelines that urge Americans to drink 10 to 50 ounces of water per day, cut back on calorie-rich sodas and allow up to 40 ounces a day of unsweetened tea or coffee and more leeway for alcohol.
The guidelines, which appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, recommend limiting sugar-sweetened and naturally sweetened drinks and allow for up to 16 ounces of low-fat or skim milk and soy beverages; up to 32 ounces of diet soda and other non-caloric sweet drinks; and up to 8 ounces of beverages with some nutrients, such as juice; and no more than 8 ounces of sugar-sweetened drinks. In addition, they permit alcoholic beverages, one drink a day for women and two for men.
While I welcome some of the suggestions, particularly the one to drink lots of water, I’m not a fan of even allowing diet drinks or sugar-sweetened drinks. They’re either full of empty, sugar-filled calories or loaded with artificial sweeteners, which have been linked to a variety of health concerns.
In all, the panel recommends consuming beverages with no or few calories over those with more calories.
Lipton Tea’s corporate parent paid for the report, which is now using the scientists’ advice to advertise tea’s benefits, the AP reported.
AP reported that the nutritionists claim they weren’t aware of the extent of Lipton’s marketing campaign and that the company didn’t play a role in the recommendations.
"This was done with complete freedom to come to whatever conclusions we came to," said Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, one of the scientists who worked on the report.
Dr. Willett said he wished it had not included such blatant promotion, AP pointed out.
Clearly, it’s important to find funding for such a study but was Lipton Tea’s corporate parent upfront about the way it would be marketed?