Sugary Drinks, Hormones, and Weight Gain.

ISLAMABAD -- It could be more than just added calories: New research gives insight into why sugary drinks are a leading cause of obesity.

Sugar-sweetened drinks are the largest source of calories from added sugar for U.S. adults, and researchers now report that the drinks also hinder hormones that quell hunger and regulate appetite.

"Our study found that when young adults consumed drinks containing sucrose, they produced lower levels of appetite-regulating hormones than when they consumed drinks containing glucose -- the main type of sugar that circulates in the bloodstream," said researcher Dr. Kathleen Page. She's an associate professor of medicine specializing in diabetes and childhood obesity at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

The study included 69 adults, aged 18 to 35, who consumed drinks containing either sucrose or glucose during two separate sessions. Sucrose is a combination of glucose and fructose from sugar cane or sugar beets. Glucose is found in honey, grapes, figs and plums.

Blood samples were taken from the study participants 10, 35 and 120 minutes after they had the drinks. When they consumed drinks with sucrose, they produced lower amounts of hormones that suppress hunger than when they had drinks with an equal amount of glucose, the findings showed.

The researchers also found that factors such as body weight and...