The Hard Facts About

Soft Drinks

© Sara B. Ducey, M.S., C.N.S.

Metro Talk with Jerry Phillips

May 20, 2001

Risks Posed by Soft Drink Consumption:

· Poor hydration

· Dental caries and Osteoporosis

· Malnutrition

· Obesity and Diabetes

· Accelerated Aging

· Addiction to caffeine

· Shifts in “taste preference” that decrease willingness to eat real foods

Additional Risks Posed by Artificial Additives in Soft Drinks

· Neurological and other problems associated with artificial sweeteners, (especially aspartame -- known by its trademarked name, NUTRASWEET™); colors; and flavors

Carbohydrates in Soft Drinks

Beverage	Serving Size	CHO
Coke	12 oz	39 g = 153 kcal
Coke	20 oz.	67.5 g = 250 kcal
Grape	12 0z	42 g = 160 kcal
Orange	12 oz	46 g = 179

This is refined carbohydrate at its finest. There is no fat, no protein and no fibers to slow the rate of digestion and absorption.

SUGAR SHOCK!

· In 1997, Americans spent over $54B on soft drinks;

· Soft drink production has more than doubled since 1975;

· Almost half of all American kids between the ages of 6 and 11 drink soft drinks - the average is 15 ounces per day;

· Teenage girls drink an average of 1.7 sodas a day;

· Boys bring in more total ounces and kcals from sodas than do girls.

Consumption of Soft Drinks (non-diet) by 12- to 19-year olds

YEAR	Ounces per day	Ounces per day	Percent of kcal	Percent of kcal
	Boys	Girls	Boys	Girls
1977-78	7 oz	6 oz.	3%	4%
1987-88	12	7	6	5
1994-96	19	12	9	8

Note: (ounces per day) and the percent of caloric intakes (all figures include non-drinkers). Calculated from the USDA NFCS, 1977-78; CSFI, 1987-88, and 1994-96.

Poor Hydration

· Water is what your body needs and wants;

· A diet rich in whole, unprocessed and minimally processed foods provides a lot of the needed water;

· A diet rich in processed foods is dehydrating, and must be accompanied by plenty of water;

· Soft drinks have an extra sugar burden, and may contain caffeine -- both of these increase your need for water

Dental Caries and Osteoporosis

· Pretty familiar territory here -- sugars encourage the growth of acid-forming, caries bacteria that cause dental caries;

· Colas contains phosphoric acid to give them the bite that balances the sweetness;

· This acid increases the body's need for base -- typically come from the green leafy vegetable foods;

· Your body can easily handle a base challenge once, twice and perhaps again -- but over time, you deplete the base minerals that are so important to bone maintenance -- these include magnesium and calcium;

· Health statistics indicate an increase in osteoporosis -- among teenage girls.

Malnutrition

· Malnutrition is bad nutrition.

· You can have too much;

· too little; or

· some combination of too much and too little.

· In the United States, "we'll have the COMBO!"

· Too many kcalories

· Toxic additives and food components; alongside

· Too few nutrients.

High Fructose Corn Syrup -- HFCS

· The cheaper sweetener

· Play the sugar geopolitics game:

· Where is sugar grown?

· What about corn?

· Replaced sugar in soft drinks circa 1980;

· HFCS is not the same as sugar -- not to your taste buds and not to your body.

GLYCOSYLATION = GLYCATION

Glycosylation occurs when the levels of sugar in your body are too high. This is a process where your body's proteins are damaged by sticky sugar molecules.

The sugars are chemically reactive and attach themselves to nearby proteins (RBCs, collagen, etc.) -- this is similar to the Maillard reaction --browning that occurs in cooking meats.

The result is that your body's proteins are physically damaged and no longer function properly.

These new damaged protein molecules are called Advanced Glycosylation End Products (AGE) -- an apt name since these are increased in our bodies as we age.

Glycosylated collagen is less flexible, and will contribute to sagging skin, hardening of blood vessels, blood cells, clouding of the lens of the eye, and alteration of the the structure of the LDL (bad) cholesterol -- thus hindering your ability to remove it from circulation.

References:

"Long-Term Fructose Consumption Accelerates Glycation and Several Age-Related Variables in Male Rats," Boaz Levi and Moshe Werman, J. Nutr. 128: 1442-1449, 1998.

Michael F. Jacobson, "Liquid Candy: How Soft Drinks are Harming American's Health," Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, D.C.