Soda and other soft drinks such as energy drinks, sweetened fruit punches and other sugary beverages are under fire --- so much in fact that one strategy in First Lady Michelle Obama's fight against childhood obesity includes discouraging consumption of these sugary drinks. Excessive weight loss isn't associated with drinking soda. On the contrary, the added sugar in soft drinks contributes to weight gain and obesity in children and adults.
Soda and Soft Drinks
Many people reach for soft drinks without considering how the added sugar in their beverages affects both nutrition and weight. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, 33 percent of Americans added sugar supply comes from soft drinks. Even healthy-sounding vitamin waters can contain a surprising amount of added sugar, with some brands containing 33 g added sugar per 20-oz. bottle. Drinking too much soda can take a toll on your nutrition when you drink these beverages in lieu of more healthful choices. Drinking soda is most frequently tied to weight gain; however, these drinks can impact your health in other ways as well.
Added Sugar Dangers
Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that gives you four calories per gram. Otherwise, sugar has no nutritional value. Sugar occurs naturally in many fruits and dairy foods, including fruit juice and milk. However, these beverages also provide essential nutrients you need in your diet. Soda pop can't make the same claims. The sweetener used in soft drinks is usually high-fructose corn syrup, which is simply another name for added sugar. The added sugar in your drinks and food goes by several other names, including fruit juice concentrates, syrup, cane sugar, raw sugar, molasses, honey and any ingredient that ends in "ose," such as fructose and sucrose. Poor nutrition and weight gain are only two consequences of consuming too much added sugar; added sugar contributes to tooth decay and high triglycerides that increase your risk of heart attack.
Sugar Content
A glance at the nutrition facts label of your soft drink of choice shows that you may be getting far more calories from added sugar than you think. A regular 12-oz. can of cola has about 136 calories, and almost all of them come from added sugar. A large 32-oz. cup of cola gives you 267 calories. Decaffeinated lemon-lime flavored soft drinks can give you 148 calories per can. Orange soda pop is even sweeter than most soft drinks and gives you roughly 167 calories per 12-oz. can. Compare these beverages to water, which has no calories, and brewed, unsweetened tea, which has only four calories in 12 oz.
Beverages and Weight Loss
A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2001 and 2004 revealed that Americans get 355 calories from added sugar, according to an August 2009 "Time Magazine" article --- but not just from soda pop and other soft drinks. Empty sugar calories are in candy, pies, cake, cookies and ice cream, and other frozen treats. The American Heart Association recommends that women get no more than 100 calories from added sugar daily; men should get no more than 150 calories. When it comes to the beverages you choose to accompany your meals and snacks, Harvard School of Public Health recommends that you get less than 10 percent of your daily calories from these. Unsweetened tea and coffee and small servings of 100 percent fruit juice and skim milk are drinks to keep on your menu. However, half of your daily fluid intake should come from plain water.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks?
- Center for Science in the Public Interest; America: Drowning in Sugar; August 1999
- Center for Science in the Public Interest; Lawsuit Over Deceptive Vitaminwater Claims to Proceed; July 2010
- Mayo Clinic; High-Fructose Corn Syrup: What are the Health Concerns?; Jennifer Nelson; October 2010
- American Heart Association: Sugars and Carbohydrates
- Harvard School of Public Health; Healthy Beverage Guidelines; 2011
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