Drinks, not food, with added sugar promote weight gain'.

ISLAMABAD -- The effect of added sucrose in the diet on calorie intake and body weight appears to depend on whether it is in liquid or solid form, according to a new study in mice. If the results translate to humans, they suggest that the contribution of added dietary sugar to obesity comes largely from sugar sweetened drinks. If scientists replicate this finding in humans, it will validate rising concerns about the consumption of sugary drinks. A team of scientists in the United Kingdom and China made these suggestions after giving mice added sugar in either their drink or their food for 8 weeks and then comparing them.

In both groups of mice, the added sugar represented 73% of the available dietary calories. A recent Molecular Metabolism paper carries a full report of the study. "The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages," says John R. Speakman, a professor in the school of...