Sweet-tasting “soft” drinks are any beverage to which sugar or other low calorie sweeteners have been added. These include:
• Sodas
• Colas
• Fruit punch
• Lemonade and other fruit-flavoured carbonated drinks
• Sports drinks
• Energy drinks
• Sweetened, powdered drinks.
• Fruit or veg juice
It is widely accepted that soft drinks are a major contributor to the current obesity epidemic. Levels of obesity are increasing in tandem with consumption of calorie- laden drinks, which has increased five-fold since 1950. In addition to the other negative aspects related to weight gain, increased sugar consumption may also be associated with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the term for a cluster of risk factors including obesity, high blood pressure, elevated fasting plasma glucose, high serum triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein. This syndrome is dangerous to health, as it is linked with the development cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The calorific value of an average can of soda, cola or fruit punch is 150 calories. Most of these calories are derived from sugar, usually high-fructose corn syrup. This is the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of table sugar, which, when consumed regularly, can contribute to weight gain. Drinking just one can of a sugary drink per day can potentially result in a weight gain of 5 pounds in a year, assuming other calorie intake is not reduced . And it isn’t just the effects on weight and metabolism that are concerning, the inherent acids and sugars in soft drinks result in dental caries and potential enamel erosion if consumed regularly.
Furthermore, drinking sugary beverages does not satisfy the appetite or reduce solid food consumption, despite their high calorific value. This is because fluids do not give the same satisfaction or feeling of “fullness” as solid food and the body doesn’t “register” liquid calories as it does those from solid food. It is also possible that sweet-tasting drinks (whether sweetened with sugar or a low calorie substitute) actually stimulate the appetite for sweet, high carbohydrate foods. A 2014 study highlighted that consumers of sweetened drinks, even if low calorie, tended to have a generally poor diet, with increased consumption of high carbohydrate foods.
Surprisingly, replacing sugary drinks with natural fruit juice is not necessarily a healthy option as although fruit juice is more nutritious, it can contains just as many calories as sugary drinks in the form of naturally occurring fruit sugars, such as fructose. Studies in both adults and children have shown that reducing sugary drink intake (including fruit juice) can lead to better weight control among those who are initially overweight, and that simply replacing sugary drinks or fruit juice with water is also associated with lower long term weight gain, as a result of reduced calorie intake. As well as weight control, a reduction of sugary drink intake can also result in metabolic improvements.
Substituting sugary drinks for diet versions may also not be as beneficial as might be expected. Non- nutritive sweeteners (very low or zero calorie substances) used in diet versions of soft drinks are associated with numerous health risks. They are, surprisingly, known to be linked to metabolic changes and obesity, and it has previously been speculated that they may increase the risk of certain types of cancer, although this theory has been discredited. Studies have shown that people who drink 1 or more ‘diet’ drinks per day are 67% more likely to develop diabetes than those who don’t drink any.
The established links between soft drinks and obesity, poor dental health and metabolic syndrome make a definite case for reducing intake, which could result in an improvement of overall health. The healthiest option of all? Stick to pure water instead of sweetened drinks to avoid souring your health.