NEW YORK -- A new study suggests that as teenage girls get older, they reach more for soft drinks and consume less milk, causing concern for some nutritionists, reports Forbes.

“Soda consumption among teens has been a concern of nutrition experts for years, with excess soft drink intake linked to increased risk for dental decay and weight gain, among other health problems,” writes the news source.

Researchers tracked 2,371 teen girls who kept food journals from age 9 or 10 until they turned 19 and published their findings in the February issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.

During the 10-year period, the teens kept track of their daily intake of milk, regular and diet soft drinks, fruit juice, fruit-flavored drinks and coffee or tea. Researchers found that the teens reduced their milk consumption by more than 25 percent, while their soft drink intake nearly tripled to become the beverage of choice among the older girls.

Therefore, writes Forbes, researchers found, “The more soda girls drank, the lower their calcium intake and the higher their body-mass index (BMI).”

Study co-author Douglas Thompson, a senior statistician at the Maryland Medical Research Institute, suggests that teen girls with poor nutrient profiles were the ones who drank more regular soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks and coffee and teas, adding that they “take in more calories generally, have more sugars and less calcium in their diets.”

Meanwhile, according to Lona Sandon, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and an assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, the key to a healthy lifestyle is moderation.

“Whether drinking sugary sodas or fruit juices causes weight gain or not, the bigger issue is overall diet quality,” Sandon told the news source, adding that sweetened beverages that provide calories but lack nutrition should be “consumed with caution.”

“An adolescent eating a diet that meets the dietary guidelines for Americans and nutrients needed for growth and development can safely enjoy a sugary drink occasionally,” Sandon said, noting that “occasionally” refers to no more than three to four times a week.