Health impact of soft drinks
Posted by Dana on June 30, 2007
The soft-drink industry has consistently portrayed its products as being positively healthful, saying they are 90% water and contain sugars found in nature. A poster that the National Soft Drink Association has provided to teachers states:
As refreshing sources of needed liquids and energy, soft drinks represent a positive addition to a well-balanced diet….These same three sugars also occur naturally, for example, in fruits….In your body it makes no difference whether the sugar is from a soft drink or a peach. M. Douglas Ivester, Coca-Cola’s chairman and CEO, defending marketing in Africa, said, “Actually, our product is quite healthy. Fluid replenishment is a key to health….Coca-Cola does a great service because it encourages people to take in more and more liquids.”
In fact, soft drinks pose health risks both because of what they contain (for example, sugar and various additives) and what they replace in the diet (beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients).
Obesity
Obesity increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and causes severe social and psychological problems in millions of Americans. Between 1971-1974 and 1988-1994, obesity rates in teenage boys soared from 5% to 12% and in teenage girls from 7% to 11%. Among adults, between 1976-1980 and 1988-1994, the rate of obesity jumped by one-third, from 25% to 35%.
Numerous factors – from lack of exercise to eating too many calories to genetics – contribute to obesity. Soda pop adds unnecessary, non-nutritious calories to the diet, though it has not been possible to prove that it (or any other individual food) is responsible for the excess calories that lead to obesity. However, one recent study found that soft drinks provide more calories to overweight youths than to other youths. The difference was most striking among teenage boys: Soda pop provides 10.3% of the calories consumed by overweight boys, but only 7.6% of calories consumed by other boys. There was no consistent pattern of differences with regard to intake of calories, fat, or several other factors.
Obesity rates have risen in tandem with soft-drink consumption, and heavy consumers of soda pop have higher calorie intakes. While those observations do not prove that sugary soft drinks cause obesity (heavy consumers may exercise more and need more calories), heavy consumption is likely to contribute to weight gain in many consumers.
Regardless of whether soda pop (or sugar) contributes to weight gain, nutritionists and weight-loss experts routinely advise overweight individuals to consume fewer calories – starting with empty-calorie foods such as soft drinks. The National Institutes of Health recommends that people who are trying to lose or control their weight should drink water instead of soft drinks with sugar.
Bones and Osteoporosis
People who drink soft drinks instead of milk or other dairy products likely will have lower calcium intakes. Low calcium intake contributes to osteoporosis, a disease leading to fragile and broken bones. Currently, 10 million Americans have osteoporosis. Another 18 million have low bone mass and are at increased risk of osteoporosis. Women are more frequently affected than men. Considering the low calcium intake of today’s teenage girls, osteoporosis rates may well rise.
The risk of osteoporosis depends in part on how much bone mass is built early in life. Girls build 92% of their bone mass by age 18, but if they don’t consume enough calcium in their teenage years they cannot “catch up” later. That is why experts recommend higher calcium intakes for youths 9 to 18 than for adults 19 to 50. Currently, teenage girls are consuming only 60% of the recommended amount, with soft-drink drinkers consuming almost one-fifth less than nonconsumers.
While osteoporosis takes decades to develop, preliminary research suggests that drinking soda pop instead of milk can contribute to broken bones in children. One study found that children 3 to 15 years old who had suffered broken bones had lower bone density, which can result from low calcium intake.
Tooth Decay
Refined sugar is one of several important factors that promote tooth decay (dental caries). Regular soft drinks promote decay because they bathe the teeth of frequent consumers in sugar-water for long periods of time during the day. An analysis of data from 1971-1974 found a strong correlation between the frequency of between-meal consumption of soda pop and dental caries. (Those researchers considered other sugary foods in the diet and other variables.) Soft drinks appear to cause decay in certain surfaces of certain teeth more than in others.
Tooth-decay rates have declined considerably in recent decades, thanks to such preventive factors as fluoride-containing toothpaste, fluoridated water, tooth sealants, and others. Nevertheless, caries remains a problem for some people. A large survey in California found that children (ages 6 to 15 ) of less-educated parents have 20% higher rates of decayed and filled teeth. A national study found that African-American and Mexican-American children (6 to 18 years old) are about twice as likely to have untreated caries as their white counterparts. For people in high-risk groups, prevention is particularly important.
To prevent tooth decay, even the Canadian Soft Drink Association recommends limiting between-meal snacking of sugary and starchy foods, avoiding prolonged sugar levels in the mouth, and eating sugary foods and beverages with meals. Unfortunately, many heavy drinkers of soft drinks violate each of those precepts.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is the nation’s number-one killer. Some of the most important causes are diets high in saturated and trans fat and cholesterol; cigarette smoking; and a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, in many adults a diet high in sugar may also promote heart disease.
High-sugar diets may contribute to heart disease in people who are “insulin resistant.” Those people, an estimated one-fourth of adults, frequently have high levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL (“good cholesterol”) in their blood. When they eat a diet high in carbohydrates, their triglyceride and insulin levels rise. Sugar has a greater effect than other carbohydrates. The high triglyceride levels are associated with a higher risk of heart disease. It would make sense for insulin-resistant people, in particular, to consume low levels of regular soft drinks and other sugary foods. Research is needed on insulin resistance in adolescents.
Kidney Stones
Kidney (urinary) stones are one of the most painful disorders to afflict humans and one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a unit of the National Institutes of Health, more than 1 million cases of kidney stones were diagnosed in 1985. NIDDK estimates that 10 percent of all Americans will have a kidney stone during their lifetime. Several times more men, frequently between the ages of 20 and 40, are affected than women. Young men are also the heaviest consumers of soft drinks.
After a study suggested a link between soft drinks and kidney stones, researchers conducted an intervention trial. That trial involved 1.009 men who had suffered kidney stones and drank at least 5 1/3 ounces of soda pop per day. Half the men were asked to refrain from drinking pop, while the others were not asked. Over the next three years drinkers of Coca-Cola and other cola beverages acidified only with phosphoric acid who reduced their consumption (to less than half their customary levels) were almost one-third less likely to experience recurrence of stones. Among those who usually drank soft drinks acidified with citric acid (with or without phosphoric acid), drinking less had no effect. While more research needs to be done on the cola-stone connection, the NIDDK includes cola beverages on a list of foods that doctors may advise patients to avoid.
Additives: Psychoactive Drug, Allergens, and More
Several additives in soft drinks raise health concerns. Caffeine, a mildly addictive stimulant drug, is present in most cola and “pepper” drinks, as well as some orange sodas and other products. Caffeine’s addictiveness may be one reason why six of the seven most popular soft drinks contain caffeine. Caffeine-free colas are available, but account for only about 5% of colas made by Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. On the other hand, Coca-Cola and other companies have begun marketing soft drinks, such as Surge, Josta, and Jolt, with 30% to 60% more caffeine than Coke and Pepsi.
In 1994-1996, the average 13- to 18-year-old boy who drank soft drinks consumed about 12/3 cans per day. Those drinking Mountain Dew would have ingested 92 mg of caffeine from that source (55 mg caffeine/12 ounces). That is equivalent to about one six-ounce cup of brewed coffee. Boys in the 90th-percentile of soft-drink consumption consume as much caffeine as is in two cups of coffee; for girls the figure is 1½ cups of coffee.
One problem with caffeine is that it increases the excretion of calcium in urine. Drinking 12 ounces of caffeine-containing soft drink causes the loss of about 20 milligrams of calcium, or two percent of the U.S. RDA (or Daily Value). That loss, compounded by the relatively low calcium intake in girls who are heavy consumers of soda pop, may increase the risk of osteoporosis.
Caffeine can cause nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness, and rapid heart beat. Caffeine causes children who normally do not consume much caffeine to be restless and fidgety, develop headaches, and have difficulty going to sleep. Also, caffeine’s addictiveness may keep people hooked on soft drinks (or other caffeine-containing beverages). One reflection of the drug’s addictiveness is that when children age six to 12 stop consuming caffeine, they suffer withdrawal symptoms that impair their attention span and performance.
Several additives used in soft drinks cause occasional allergic reactions. Yellow 5 dye causes asthma, hives, and a runny nose. A natural red coloring, cochineal (and its close relative carmine), causes life-threatening reactions. Dyes can cause hyperactivity in sensitive children.
In diet sodas, artificial sweeteners may raise concerns. Saccharin, which has been replaced by aspartame in all but a few brands, has been linked in human studies to urinary-bladder cancer and in animal studies to cancers of the bladder and other organs. Congress has required products made with saccharin to bear a warning label. The safety of acesulfame-K, which was approved in 1998 for use in soft drinks, has been questioned by several cancer experts. Also, aspartame should be better tested.
Recommendations for Action
In part because of powerful advertising, universal availability, and low price, and in part because of disinterest on the part of many nutritionists and other health professionals, Americans have come to consider soft drinks a routine snack and a standard, appropriate part of meals instead of an occasional treat, as they were treated several decades ago. Moreover, many of today’s younger parents grew up with soft drinks, see their routine consumption as normal, and so make little effort to restrict their children’s consumption of them.
It is a fact, though, that soft drinks provide enormous amounts of sugar and calories to a nation that does not meet national dietary goals and that is experiencing an epidemic of obesity. The replacement of milk by soft drinks in teenage girls’ diets portends continuing high rates of osteoporosis. Soft drinks may also contribute to dental problems, kidney stones, and heart disease. Additives may cause insomnia, behavioral problems, and allergic reactions and may increase slightly the risk of cancer.
The industry promises that it will be doing everything possible to persuade even more Americans to drink even more soda pop even more often. Parents and health officials need to recognize soft drinks for what they are – liquid candy – and do everything possible to return those beverages to their former, reasonable role as an occasional treat.
- Individuals and families should consider how much soda pop they are drinking and reduce consumption accordingly. Parents should stock their homes with healthful foods and beverages that family members enjoy.
- Physicians, nurses, and nutritionists routinely should ask their patients how much soda pop they are drinking and advise them, if appropriate, of dietary changes to make.
- Organizations concerned about women’s and children’s health, dental and bone health, and heart disease should collaborate on campaigns to reduce soft-drink consumption.
- Local, state, and federal governments should be as aggressive in providing water fountains in public buildings and spaces as the industry is in placing vending machines everywhere.
- State and local governments should considering taxing soft drinks, as Arkansas, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia already do. Arkansas raised $40 million in fiscal year 1998 from that tax. If all states taxed soft drinks at Arkansas’ rate (2 cents per 12-ounce can), they could raise $3 billion annually.
- Those revenues could fund campaigns to improve diets, build exercise facilities (bike paths, swimming pools, etc.), and support physical-education programs in schools.
- Local governments could require calorie listings on menu boards at fast-food outlets and on vending machines to sensitize consumers to the nutritional “cost” of sugared soft drinks and other foods.
- School systems and other organizations catering to children should stop selling soft drinks, candy, and similar foods in hallways, shops, and cafeterias.
- School systems and youth organizations should not auction themselves off to the highest bidder for exclusive soft-drink marketing rights. Those deals profit the companies and schools at the expense of the students’ health.
- The National Academy of Sciences or Surgeon General should review the impact of current and projected levels of soft-drink (and sugar) consumption on public health.
Soft-drink companies voluntarily should not advertise to children and adolescents. Labels should advise parents that soft drinks may replace lowfat milk, fruit juice, and other healthy foods in the diets of children and adolescents. - Scientific research should explore the role of heavy consumption of soft drinks (and sugar) in nutritional status, obesity, caries, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and heart disease.
cristian84 said
Fost drinks will slowly guid your path to a drug rehab and many people find it hard to believe that some soft drinks are really bad for your health…