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Obesity in a can: Sugary sodas are nutritionally indefensible

November 15, 2009 1:47 am

IT'S HARD to find anything nice to say about soda.

Every can of regular soda we drink is linked to a 60 percent higher risk of obesity and 67 percent higher rate of diabetes.

Stats like these, from the Journal of the American Medical Association and Diabetes Care, have sparked debate about sugary beverages.

Some people consider soda their one indulgence, drinking a can or more each day. And some figure it's no worse--and maybe better--than eating chocolate, ice cream or other sweets.

But at least chocolate has some antioxidants. And ice cream, while fatty and sugary, has a little bit of protein and a lower glycemic index than soda. Plus, ice cream is usually consumed in smaller quantities. Most folks don't consume a quart at a time.

But lots of convenience stores sell 32-ounce servings of sweetened drinks, such as soda, lemonade, punch or energy drinks. And most of these sweetened drinks have few vitamins, minerals or fiber.

On the whole, I pride myself on being relaxed as dietitians go. I encourage people to take a moderate approach and to enjoy all kinds of foods. And it's true that a little soda won't kill you. It's not toxic.

But it's hard to defend sweetened beverages, at least in modern super-size portions. A 24-ounce soda has about 300 calories from liquid sugar and about 80 grams of carbohydrate, or as much as five slices of white bread.

But while eating that much white bread might make you feel stuffed, the average person is still hungry after guzzling a 24-ounce beverage. That's where a problem can come in--when a person keeps eating too many calories.

The beverage industry disagrees: "There is little evidence from epidemiological studies that sugar-sweetened drinks are more likely than any other source of calories to lead to obesity," according to the American Beverage Association's Web site.

Translation: Too much of anything can make you fat. While I agree that excess calories from any food or drink can cause weight gain, as a dietitian I have known many people who go overboard more with sweetened beverages than with solid foods.

LOSE WEIGHT, HURT LESS

Cutting out sugary drinks is an easy way to lose weight. If you normally drink a 24-ounce regular soda a day, changing to water or unsweetened tea could save you 110,000 calories, or 22 pounds in one year!

Most sugary beverages are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, a cheap form of sugar. Last month, Spanish researchers showed that giving fructose to men raised their blood sugar by up to 6 points and increased their risk of metabolic syndrome. That's a constellation of problems including high blood sugar, altered lipid levels, high waist circumference and high blood pressure. It's often a precursor to heart disease and diabetes.

The Spanish men also had higher levels of uric acid, a chemical that causes gouty arthritis.

A study of nearly 5,000 American tweens and teens found similar effects, with higher uric acid levels and blood pressure even in youth. The effect was found for 12- to 18-year-olds who consumed sugar-sweetened fruit drinks, sports drinks and sweetened coffee or tea.

Teenage boys drink more soda than any other group, averaging four or more servings daily. Yet sweetened drinks are especially unhelpful for children who are growing and need foods that have more nutrients. Multiple studies show that kids who drink the most soda drink the least milk.

Unfortunately, 77 percent of high schools sell soda, sugary sports drinks and fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice, according to research published in the Journal of School Health in 2007.

WAYS TO CHANGE

This fall, a group of researchers proposed taxing soft drinks, and their paper in the New England Journal of Medicine sparked lots of discussion.

Some argue that a sugary beverage tax, like a cigarette tax, would drive up the cost and decrease consumption. The tax money could be spent on health care. The authors said that the U.S. already spends $147 billion, or 9 percent of the nation's health care expenditures, on obesity-related problems.

Another researcher proposed using the tax money to subsidize healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat milk.

While scientists and politicians debate these ideas, there are some things you can do on your own.

Instead of reaching for sugary beverages, consider water or low-sodium vegetable juice. Black tea and herbal teas (mint, chamo-mile, lemon-ginger and other flavors) are other nice options.

If you decide to sweeten your own drink, you will probably add less sugar than comes in a bottled beverage. Adding a teaspoon of sugar or honey is still far less than the 20 teaspoons of sugar found in a 24-ounce soda.

Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.