Sweet tea and soda are sugary and syrupy, but these drinks are anything but sweet to your body and future health. While these drinks are popular and can be found at restaurants, grocery stores and drink machines all over the world, these sugar-laden beverages offer no nutritional value and have detrimental effects on your health with long-term or excessive consumption.
Sugar
Sweet tea and soda contain added sugar, a simple carbohydrate that your body uses as a quick source of energy. Added sugar has no nutritional value and can cause tooth decay, weight gain and increased triglyceride levels, a risk factor for heart disease, when consumed in excess. The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 100 calories of added sugar per day for women and no more than 150 calories per day for men. This translates to about 6 to 10 teaspoons of sugar daily. To put this into perspective, a small 16-ounce Coca-Cola Classic at McDonald's contains 40 g of sugar or 10 teaspoons -- a man's daily recommended sugar intake. A McDonald's sweet tea of the same size contains 36 g of sugar, or 9 teaspoons.
Caffeine
Sweet tea and soda both contain an average of 40 to 50 mg of caffeine per 12 ounce serving. According to the FDA, more than 80 percent of Americans consume caffeine on a daily basis. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and is used for added alertness and for providing an energy boost. While consuming 200 to 300 mg of caffeine per day is not shown to have a long-term effect on your health, sensitivity to caffeine differs from one person to the next and often causes shakiness, dehydration, headaches and heartburn. Although sweet tea and soda are good for providing a boost of energy, drink these beverages in moderation to avoid health issues.
Harmful Additives
Sweet tea is mostly sugar, tea and water. On the other hand, soda contains other unhealthy additives, such as phosphoric acid, sodium and high fructose corn syrup. Phosphoric acid can upset the pH balance in the kidneys, corrode stomach lining and disrupt the body's absorption of calcium, resulting in weakened bones and tooth decay. In excess amounts, sodium causes bloating and high blood pressure or hypertension. According to a 2010 Princeton University study that gave rats daily doses of either table sugar or high fructose corn syrup, the rats eating the corn syrup showed substantially higher weight gain, especially around the stomach, as well as increased triglyceride levels. Another 2010 study, conducted by the University of Minnesota and the University of Singapore, found that in more than 60,000 participants over a 14-year period, those who drank one or more sodas per day were 87 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer due to high sugar content.
Considerations
While these drinks are tasty, sweet tea and soda are not healthy beverage choices. Drink water whenever possible. If you need caffeine, drink regular unsweetened iced tea or add a single teaspoon of sugar for around 16 calories. For those who love the carbonation, drink flavored or unflavored carbonated water. While many believe diet soda is an optimal alternative, this beverage still contains the other additives of soda, which are harmful when consumed in excess. In 2011, Columbia University and the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine announced the results of a study of 2,564 people. It found that those who drank diet soda daily were 61 percent more likely to experience heart attacks, cardiovascular disease or stroke than those who did not consume diet soda.
References
- FDA; Medicines In My Home: Caffeine and Your Body; 2007
- CBSNews; Study: Soda Linked to Pancreatic Cancer; February 2010
- American Heart Association; Diet Soda May Increase Odds of Vascular Events; Salt Linked to Stroke Risk; February 2011
- Princeton University; A Sweet Problem: Princeton Researchers Find That High-Fructose Corn Syrup Prompts Considerably More Weight Gain; March 2010
- McDonald's; McDonald's USA Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items; August 2011
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