Why Sugary Drinks Are One of the Biggest Causes of Obesity
by Dr. Richard Lipman MD
Board Certified in Internal Medicine/Endocrinology
Miami Weight Loss Center shows that obesity is fueled by high sugar intake from sugary drinks.
Sugar in beverages is handled far differently in the body than sugar in solid form. Such sugar is often highly concentrated and easy to consume in large quantities without feeling full. Examples of these drinks include: fruit juices, Fruit punch, lemonade, sodas, and Energy drinks. Here are the calories and grams of sugar in a selected list. Here are the calorie and sugar contents in 12 ounces (355 mL) of some popular high-sugar beverages:
- Soda: 151 calories and 39 grams of sugar
- Sweetened iced tea: 144 calories and 35 grams of sugar
- Unsweetened orange juice: 175 calories and 33 grams of sugar
- Unsweetened grape juice: 228 calories and 54 grams of sugar
- Fruit punch: 175 calories and 42 grams of sugar
- Lemonade: 149 calories and 37 grams of sugar
- Sports beverage: 118 calories and 22 grams of sugar
One big issue with liquid sugar is that your brain does not recognize these calories the same way it does calories from solid foods. Research shows that when you drink calories, your body does not feel as full as when you eat them. Because of this, you do not end up eating less of other foods later. In one study, people who ate 450 calories’ worth of jellybeans ate less food later. But when they drank 450 calories of soda, they actually ate more total calories during the rest of the day Solid and liquid forms of fruit also affect how hungry you feel in different ways.
This did not apply to solid foods or other drinks like milk. Of the seven types of beverages studied, only sugar-sweetened beverages (regular soft drinks, fruit drinks, fruit punch, or high-calorie beverages sweetened with sugar) were associated directly with weight loss.
How do sugary drinks contribute so much to weight gain? How do you stop drinking them if you are a “soda addict”?
Sugary Drinks are Worse than You Might Think
Sugary drinks contribute an average of 8% to 9% of total calories for children and adults. People in the USA consume about 16% of their daily calories from added sugars. About 47% of those sugars are from sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages, such as juice drinks and iced tea. On average, people increased their daily calorie intake from sodas and other sugary drinks by 83 calories between 1977 and 2001, as reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
About 52 calories were from carbonated non-diet sodas. According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a 12-ounce soda has 150 calories and 40-50 grams of sugars as high-fructose corn syrup – equal to 10 teaspoons of sugar.
How Do Sugary Drinks Contribute So Much to Weight Gain?
Sugar-sweetened soft drinks contain 140-150 calories per 12-oz serving. If normal dietary intake decreased by an equivalent number of calories per serving, then no weight change would be expected. However, almost universally, the SUGARY drinks become extra calories. Some studies have shown that if one were to consume the same amount of sugar in the form of jelly beans, there would be no added calories because the food was reduced in proportion.
Satiety Factor
Sugar in drinks does not cause the same satiety as solid food. Numerous studies have linked more satiety to solid or semi-solid foods than water alone. Dr. Barbara Rolls at Penn State University has done research in this area. She found much more satiety in soups containing protein and vegetables than to an equal amount of broth.
Appetite stimulation
The sugar in these beverages is quickly absorbed from the stomach into the bloodstream, causing rapid fluctuations in blood sugar. Rapidly rising then falling blood sugar is a well-known appetite stimulant.
The consumption of milk
As sugar-sweetened beverage consumption increases, milk consumption has decreased. Energy and nutrients from low-fat milk far exceed those from soft drinks.
Finally, artificially sweetened soft drinks are being accepted by the obesity research groups:
The fact that some of the foremost obesity researchers in this country have finally abandoned their resistance to artificial sweeteners signifies a shift in thinking. They recognize what many physicians treating obese patients have known for years–the dangers of sugary drinks, especially soft drinks far exceed any possible untoward effects f artificial sweeteners. Of course, water is the best choice. However, the majority of Coke/Pepsi drinkers will not change to water, no matter what you tell them. Switching to Coke Zero, or from regular Sprite to Sprite Zero, is an acceptable choice, at least for now.
Sports Drinks and “Health Drinks” Have a Healthy Aura, But Add Hundreds of Extra Calories
Water is so boring. But call it “Vitamin Water,” make it in beautiful pastel colors, call it “good for you” and “healthy,” add as much sugar as a Coke®, add a whole lot of caffeine, and you have a champion. The problem is most people believe the phony marketing hype and don’t read the label. Additionally, the average American diet supplies the recommended dietary allowance of vitamins and minerals.
Drinking a single bottle of Gatorade® adds 12 lbs. and 2 inches to your waist over a year. How were we fooled into thinking a bottle of sugar water and a few minerals were good for us? Gatorade has the same sugar content as a Coke, which quickly turns into fat around our bellies and makes us hungry. For the non-athlete, Gatorade® is an absolute disaster.
Sports Drinks, vitamin waters, energy drinks, and exotic fruit or plant drinks have become very popular. There are now over 60 different brands available and counting. Last year Americans spent a billion dollars on such products. But what do these drinks do? Do they really make you healthy or provide vitamins and minerals that you really need? The answer is simple: unless you are ill, working hard in hot weather, or are an athlete, they are absolutely of NO BENEFIT. In fact, they will make you fat. Regular soda and Gatorade® have the same calories.
How Gatorade Started the Whole Thing
In 1965, researchers at the University of Florida used the school’s football team to test a special beverage they had developed to combat dehydration. The players liked the drink, which they named “Gatorade®” after the University’s mascot. After the Gators defeated Georgia Tech 27-12 in the 1967 Orange Bowl, the losing coach declared to a reporter: “We did not have Gatorade®. That made the difference.” And that was the beginning of the myth that has led to pounds and pounds of weight gain for sedentary individuals.
Sports Drinks are for Athletes NOT Couch Potatoes
Sports drinks are for rehydration and for replacing minerals and sugar lost during high-intensity or long-duration exercise — especially in hot environments. The three key words here are intense, duration, and hot. If you are doing light exercise or doing nothing at all (couch-warming) then Gatorade® is a big waste of money and is full of calories and sugar. Consuming 150 calories and 32 grams of sugar (the same as in a can of Coca-Cola®) will easily offset 30 minutes of walking. For most typical workouts, water is perfectly adequate.
In addition, vitamins E, A, D, and K are insoluble in water. They can only be absorbed with a meal containing fat. So what’s the value of putting them into a bottle of water? To taste good, manufacturers add 32 grams of sugar. One of the issues is fooling yourself into thinking that drinking 32 grams of sugar is “healthy.”
What is actually in a 125-calorie bottle of Vitamin Water besides the sugar?
Sodium, protein, and fat are zero, as is Potassium in all but one variety. Vitamin content shows Vitamin C at 100% RDV or more; Vitamin B3 is 100% or 0 depending on the variety; Vitamin B6: 100%; Vitamin B12: 100%; and Vitamin B5: 100%. One variety contains 50mg of caffeine. Another variety contains 25mg of the amino acid Taurine. Others contain Guarana (caffeine source from a plant), Ginseng (herb, believed to cleanse, provide energy, and ward off illness), Ginkgo Biloba (from a tree, believed to enhance cognitive function), and various antioxidants and amino acids with perceived health benefits. Have a look at their full nutrition information and ingredients here.
The same vitamins and minerals can be found individually or combined in any over-the-counter multivitamin tablet—without all the sugar. The amino acids L-Carnitine and Taurine are natural products made in the body. There is no need to add extra amounts, and there is NO proof they have any weight loss benefit. The plant products Guarana, Ginkgo Biloba, and Ginseng have NO proven medical benefits.
A cup of coffee has 120 mg of caffeine, and the average can of cola has 41 mg of caffeine. Caffeine does produce alertness, but at the same time it may cause dehydration, heart rate and blood pressure elevation, as well as insomnia, headaches, and anxiety. Many people experience significant side effects above 200mg. That equals about 2 cups of coffee or 4 cans of cola.
The issue, again, like with sports drinks, is not to be fooled by the “healthy” marketing surrounding these drinks.
