Sweet Drinks, Serious Consequences
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EmailFrom pop and sports drinks to sweetened coffees and teas, learn how sugary beverages can affect your health and discover simple strategies for choosing healthier options.
Sugary drinks or sugar-sweetened drinks, refer to any beverage with sweetener added to it. Sweeteners include sugar, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup and fruit juice concentrates to name a few. Soda pop, presweetened coffee/tea, energy drinks, sports drinks and flavored water, among other sweetened drinks, are examples of beverages with added sweetener. Sweet drinks can have serious consequences that people need to be aware of when considering beverage choices and consumption.
In the 1790s, carbonation techniques were developed to match the naturally occurring carbonated mineral waters believed to be healthy. A century later, a pharmacist combined Coca, a caffeine containing nut, and sweetener, and sold it as a tonic. This became the well-known sweetened beverage, Coca-Cola in the1800s. Today, marketing companies intentionally focus on the younger generation to sell their sugar-sweetened beverages in a way that keeps customers coming back. Clever marketing uses loved characters, favorite athletes and internet platforms that are heavily visited by potential customers to increase interest.
Why is it important to be aware of this? Research has shown that increased intake of sweetened beverages is associated with Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and excess body weight. Studies show that when you drink high calorie beverages, you do not gain the same sense of fullness as you get when you eat the same number of calories in solid foods. Carbohydrates (sugars) and added sugars contain 4 calories per gram. Adding a 12-ounce soft drink to your normal diet every day can lead to a 15-pound weight gain per year with soda containing 150 calories and 40 grams of sugar.
The 2025 Dietary Guidelines recommend avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages.
When considering making a change to current lifestyles, be patient with yourself and make very small changes each week building on each small change to make more significant changes at a pace that works for you. A few ideas to consider:
- Switch one sweetened beverage for water infused with natural flavor like lemon, cucumber or watermelon.
- Substitute one bottle of sweetened beverage for the week. Replace with an unsweetened beverage.
- Read the food label; becoming familiar with where nutrients are located and what ingredients represent sugar in that particular food item.