Sweetened beverages: Rethink your Drink and Improve Health

Sipping on a sweetened beverage can be a delightful experience, but beneath the surface of that sugar-filled drink lies a complex web of health concerns. From weight management to the risk of chronic diseases, understanding the impact of sweetened beverages is essential for making informed choices about what we drink.

Let’s rethink your drink.

Quick facts:

Frequently consuming of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, non-alcoholic liver disease, tooth decay and cavities, and gout, a type of arthritis.
In 2011-2014, 6 in 10 youth (63%) and 5 in 10 adults (49%) drank a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) on a given day. On average, US youth consumed 143 calories from SSBs and US adults consumed 145 calories from SSBs on a given day.
Nationally, 63% of adults aged 18 or older reported drinking sugar-sweetened beverages once daily or more.
A study conducted on sweetened beverages and weight gain recommends discouraging the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages like soda and fruit drinks while prioritizing efforts to promote the intake of other beverages such as water, low-fat milk, and small quantities of fruit juice.”
Even the World Health Association urges global action on sugary drinks.

Limiting sugar sweetened beverages can be tough. Sugar is addictive and activates a dopamine and opioid surge that makes you want to keep coming back for more. As you lower your intake of sugar, your palate and tastebuds change, and you start to crave less sugar.
Functional Medicine foodie

Artificial sweeteners, which are found in diet drinks, are often 400-1000 times sweeter than regular sugar–so the impact is even greater when trying to decrease intake. When consuming large of amounts of artificial sweeteners, naturally sweetened foods don’t taste as sweet. Artificial sweeteners “hijack” your taste buds making naturally sweetened foods, like fruit, not as enjoyable or pleasurable to eat. The sweetness and pleasure you get from eating fruit is decreased because your brain is used to a much sweeter taste activating your dopamine, or the “feel good” neurotransmitter. In addition, artificial sweeteners are linked to cravings and overeating, and although contain 0 calories, can up leading to weight gain in the long run.

Take a look at your favorite beverages and see how much added sugar is included. Remember, if a drink says “0 grams added sugar” but tastes sweet, it likely has artificial sweeteners or plant based non-nutritive sweeteners in it like stevia or monk fruit. Stevia and monk fruit are ok in moderation. They are a better choice than aspartame, sucralose or acesulfame potassium.

For a complete guide on sweeteners and how they stack up against each other, read the blog on sweeteners.