Will Stopping Soda Help To Lose Weight?

Soda contains little more than sugar, water, flavorings and colorings. It offers no vitamins, minerals or nutrients. Drinking too much soda is associated with metabolic abnormalities and chronic health problems, says the American Heart Association. Soda is also associated with higher body weights, so it makes sense that cutting it out of your diet can help you lose weight.

Significance

In the September 15, 2009 issue of "Circulation," the American Heart Association asserts that soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages serve as the primary added sugar in American diets. The Center for Science in the Public Interest points out that among adolescents, 44 percent of the 34 teaspoons of sugar boys eat daily and 40 percent of the 24 teaspoons girls eat come from soda. As these estimates take into account soda and non-soda drinkers alike, the intake of sugar is even higher among people who regularly drink soda. Drinking soda pushes out other important nutrients and is associated with the obesity epidemic in the United States. Just one 64-oz."Double Big Gulp" from 7-11 contains 59 teaspoons of sugar and 800 calories. Drinking this in addition to a day's worth of calories can cause you to pack on a whopping 83 pounds in a year.

Expert Insight

Regular soda consumption contributed to weight gain and an 80 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study of over 50,000 people published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" in August 2004. Cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda, can help you lose weight, as reported in a study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in a May 2009 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Researchers also noted that a reduction in liquid calories impacted weight loss more significantly than did a reduction in solid calories.

Considerations

Liquid calories do not register strongly with your body, so you still feel hungry even after drinking large amounts of soda. People who drink soda or other liquid calories often eat more calories overall, Richard D. Mattes, professor of food and nutrition at Purdue University told the "Washington Post" in December 2004. Cutting out soda can cause you to eat less overall, helping you trim a greater number of calories and lose weight.

Alternatives

Water or unsweetened tea are your best alternatives to soda. Juices, even 100 percent varieties, contain significant calories and can still contribute to weight gain. You are better off eating a piece of whole fruit to take in fewer calories and more fiber. Energy drinks also contain high amounts of sugars, and their added "supplements" are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Misconceptions

While diet soda can help someone to cut back on a high sugared-soda intake, they should serve as a temporary measure only. David L. Katz, M.D. in "O Magazine" from January 20, 2009 says that sugar substitutes confuse the mechanisms that relate calorie intake and sweet taste, meaning that your body stops being able to judge how much it has consumed. Your body becomes less able to self-regulate satiation, and as a result, you overeat. Because sweeteners are 200 to 13,000 times as sweet as sugar, regular consumption of diet sodas may make you crave sweeter and sweeter items.