Children who consume sugary soft drinks are not necessarily heavier than those who steer clear, new research suggests.

A study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, found no direct link between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and higher overall energy consumption in four to ten-year-olds.

There were also no significant differences between the body mass indexes (BMI) of children who consumed sugary soft drinks and those who did not.

The study suggests the sugar tax, which came into effect last year, "might not be the most effective tactic" to fight childhood obesity, the researchers said.

The team, from the University of Nottingham, analysed data from a survey of around 1300 UK children aged four to ten, between 2008 and 2016, including a four-day food diary.

In total, 61% of the children drank at least one sugary soft drink during this period, but more than three-quarters (78%) of this group did not exceed their total recommended daily calorie intake.

There were no significant differences in the BMIs of drinkers and non-drinkers, the authors said.

Overall, 78% of the children consumed more than the recommended daily amount of added sugars, including that found in fruit juices and confectionery, the study also found.

This figure was 68% among drinkers of sugar-sweetened beverages.

"High intake of added sugars was not directly correlated with high energy consumption," Ola Anabtawi, who led the research, said.

"Therefore, relying on a single-nutrient approach to tackling childhood obesity in the form of a soft drink tax might not be the most effective tactic."

She added: "Our findings indicate that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is not a behaviour particular to children with a higher body weight.

"On the contrary, framing sugar reduction in tackling obesity might reinforce negative stereotypes around 'unhealthy dieting'.

"Instead, policies should focus on those children whose consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks substantially increases their total added sugar intake in combination with other public health interventions."

Commenting on the findings, Dr Katarina Kos, from the University of Exeter, warned the effects of sugar intake may only become apparent among children in later life.

"The study should not be seen as reassurance that we can relax about sugar-sweetened drinks, but as the authors also say, it highlights the complexity of environment," she said.

"Children do exercise less than they used to, thus need fewer calories and less energy, whatever the source."

Matt Lambert, nutritionist at World Cancer Research Fund, said: "While consumption of sugary drinks was not shown to be a factor for weight gain in this particular study, this is typically because children who consume more sugary drinks eat less healthy foods as they are full from the 'empty calories' of the sugar-sweetened drinks, which are usually devoid of essential nutrients."

Attendees at the congress also heard from researchers who have been investigating bloggers on social media who claim to have the latest diet fix.

A new study found that just one out of nine of the most popular UK bloggers making weight management claims actually provided accurate and trustworthy information.

A team from the University of Glasgow examined whether health and diet claims made by influencers were transparent, included evidence-based references, were trustworthy and were nutritionally sound.

The team also looked at the role of bias in what was put online.

Lead author Christina Sabbagh said: "We found that the majority of the blogs could not be considered credible sources of weight management information, as they often presented opinion as fact and failed to meet UK nutritional criteria.

"This is potentially harmful, as these blogs reach such a wide audience."

Researchers selected bloggers for the study based on those who had more than 80,000 followers on at least one social media site, those who had been verified with a "blue tick" from sites such as Twitter, and who had an active weight management blog.