In case you haven’t walked through the drink aisle of a grocery store lately, it’s absolutely loaded with options. From hundreds of types of water to sodas to sports drinks it’s a maze to navigate. Sugary beverages in particular are found in abundance everywhere you look. Both with actual sugar and those with sugar substitutes. Having so many options readily available it can be very confusing to know what to grab. Answering that has been a key area of focus in research to learn how these different drinks impact our health.
Types of sugary beverages
Options are certainly plentiful in this area. The most popular sugary beverages are sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, coffee creamers and fruit juice. Each drink has its own reputation but one thing in common is that they all provide a type of sugar. Fruit juice is the biggest outlier in this group as it is a natural product containing extra nutrients in it. Compared to those with just added table sugar to it this does offer some additional benefits. These different sources of sugar have some slight differences in their impact on the body. Overall though it’s important to stay mindful of how much of each you are having.
Prevalence of sweetened beverages
Everything in moderation is the popular saying. That is increasingly difficult for things such as sweetened beverages when they are so prevalent. Even for kids they’re present in popular snacks as well as school lunches. You have juice boxes, chocolate and strawberry milk in most cafeterias now-a-days. Like the fruit juice the milk has a lot of added benefits nutrient wise but these sources of added sugar can all add up. As we get older too constant advertisements for sports drinks, soda and energy drinks are very influential. You can’t walk anywhere without seeing a vending machine or store where a drink can be found. The convenience of powder water flavor packets also makes it even easier to travel with some added sugar. With these items so easily available it’s important to maintain awareness to avoid unintentionally overconsuming them.
When to have them
The goal of this isn’t to say avoid these items for the rest of your life. I just want to increase awareness to ensure you aren’t having too much accidentally. There are proper times and places for these sweetened beverages. Sports drinks being the main one if ideal for moments of intense physical activity. The body is in a state to utilize those extra sugars for performance. This is very different than drinking a Gatorade while being asked “Are you still watching?” by Netflix. Soda has a place as well and is a go-to item for a lot of endurance athletes. Flat soda can provide a little caffeine with some quick sugars that again the body is going to use for performance very well in this situation. General recommendations on when to limit these items is when not as active. Drinking sugary beverages (even those with sugar substitutes) 24/7 may result in some longer-term health complications.
Negatives of sugary beverages
In case it needs to be reiterated, sugar in and of itself isn’t exactly the enemy. Constant consumption of sugar though does warrant some concern if not careful. The latest study referenced here dives into an overview of many studies looking at that impact. What this review found was a correlation between those who drank more sugar sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages and an increased risk of health complications. Specifically, the complications noted were hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and overall all-cause mortality (aka death). Across the board each type of sweetened beverage showed a greater risk of problems arising.
One important piece to mention is that correlation does not equal causation. Simply because those who drank more of these beverages had more health issues doesn’t mean the beverages directly caused it. Sweetened beverages can actually increase hunger and result in eating more. Eating too much will result in weight gain and too much weight gain has been known to cause a wide array of issues. It’s important not to make too many strong claims as some media articles will spin this review to say. That being said it’s also a good reminder to stay mindful of what you’re drinking.
To drink or throw away
Like most things in life, moderation is key. If you are having sweetened beverages every single day for no reason other than enjoying the flavor it may be worth considering pulling back a bit. On the other hand if having one once in a blue moon, you likely don’t need to worry! Water is still the leader and should be a cornerstone of your overall hydration. Then depending on your training and energy needs some sweetened beverages may be worthwhile. This is intentional and strategic implementation though. Stay mindful and make sure not to be avoiding water.
Study referenced: click here