US kids downing more diet drinks

NEW YORK, Aug 16: The number of U.S. Children who drink sugar-free beverages has doubled in the past decade, a new study finds – though the health implications of the trend, if any, are unclear. Using data from a federal health survey, researchers found that by 2008, 12.5 percent of children were drinking artificially-sweetened beverages. That was up from six percent a decade earlier. (agencies)