Study: Junk Food Makes Up 30% Of Americans' Diet

A major contributor to the increasing U.S. obesity rate is something pretty obvious -- junk food. And Americans eat a lot of it, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of California-Berkeley found that, in American diets, sugary snacks and sodas reign supreme over healthier options such as vegetables and fruit.

The study, published in the June issue of the Journal of Food Chemistry and Analysis, found that three food groups -- sweets and desserts, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages -- make up almost 25 percent of all calories consumed by Americans. Salty snacks and fruit-flavored drinks make up another 5 percent, bringing the calories from nutrient-poor foods to at least 30 percent of the total calorie intake.

In contrast, vegetables and fruit make up only 10 percent of the caloric intake in the U.S. diet, according to the findings.

"What is really alarming is the major contribution of 'empty calories' in the American diet," said lead researcher Gladys Block, professor of epidemiology and public health nutrition at the university. "We know people are eating a lot of junk food, but to have almost one-third of Americans' calories coming from those categories is a shocker. It's no wonder there's an obesity epidemic in this country."

In the analysis, Block used data from 4,760 adults who took part from 1999 to 2000 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants were asked to report all the foods they ate in the prior 24 hours.

Among the food items, soft drinks and pastries led the list of top 10 foods contributing the most calories to the American diet. As the leader of the pack, sodas alone contributed 7.1 percent of the total calories in the U.S. population. Foods such as hamburgers, pizza and potato chips rounded out the top five food items.

For comparison, Block also analyzed survey data collected between 1988 and 1994, but there weren't major differences in diet makeup. Bread, rolls and crackers contributed 10.7 percent of calories in the earlier survey but only 8.7 percent in the later one. Soft drink consumption was up slightly, from 6 percent of calories in 1988-1994 to 7.1 percent in 1999-2000.

"It's important to emphasize that sweets, desserts, snacks and alcohol are contributing calories without providing vitamins and minerals," Block said. "A large proportion of Americans are undernourished in terms of vitamins and minerals. You can actually be obese and still be undernourished with regard to important nutrients. We shouldn't be telling people to eat less, we should be telling people to eat differently."

Top 10 Food Groups Contributing To Energy Intake Among Americans
RANK	FOOD GROUP	PERCENT OF TOTAL ENERGY
1	Sweets, desserts	12.3
2	Beef, pork	10.1
3	Bread, rolls, crackers	8.7
4	Mixed dishes	8.2
5	Dairy	7.3
6	Soft drinks	7.1
7	Vegetables	6.5
8	Chicken, fish	5.7
9	Alcoholic beverages	4.4
10	Fruit, juice	3.9
Source: UC Berkeley Analysis Of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data, 1999-2000