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An ice-cold can of drink is often the first thing we reach for when the temperature rises. Indeed, sales of soft drinks double during a heatwave such as the one we’ve enjoyed this month.
But there is increasing evidence that our love of sugar-filled sparkling beverages is a deadly threat to the nation’s health.
Today doctors urged the Government to impose a 20% tax on them to help tackle the obesity crisis, while a senior dental surgeon called for sugary drinks to carry health warnings to highlight the risk they pose to children’s teeth.
Meanwhile a shocking new report warns they are responsible for 184,000 deaths worldwide each year. In the UK, 1,316 people are said to have died as a result of drinking sweetened drinks.
The study, by Tufts University near Boston in the US, looked at data surrounding fizzy, fruit and energy drinks and found that they were strongly implicated in thousands of deaths due to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
These three diseases have all been linked to high sugar consumption.
“This is not complicated,” says lead researcher Dariush Mozaffarian. “There are no health benefits from these sugar-sweetened drinks, and reducing our consumption could save tens of thousands of deaths each year.”
To add further fuel to the controversy, a US public health organisation has recently created an “updated” version of a famous Coca-Cola advert from 1971.
In the original, young people of different nationalities stand on a hilltop, singing of their wish to “buy the world a Coke” to spread peace and happiness.
But the remake features real people who, instead of promoting global happiness, sing of their suffering from diabetes, tooth decay, weight gain and diseases that have been associated with the over-consumption of sugary sodas.
Michael F Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, made the video and explains the reasoning behind it.
He says: “For decades companies have spent billions on manipulative advertising to convince children and adults alike that a disease-promoting drink will make them feel warm and fuzzy inside. It’s time to change the tune.”
Plenty of people in Britain are now trying to do just that. There’s a definite push to reduce our sugar intake as evidence mounts to suggest it is even more dangerous than fat when it comes to obesity – and many health experts now believe sugary fizzy drinks are the biggest culprit in the modern diet.
In May, Tesco became the first supermarket chain to commit to reducing sugar across its entire range of drinks – and rival super-markets are now likely to follow this example. But just why are sugary drinks so bad for us? And what should we be drinking instead?
Why are fizzy drinks so toxic?
During the last 10 years there has been a raft of research linking soft drinks to everything from diabetes to osteoporosis and breast cancer – but just what is it that makes them so dangerous?
“To start with most are incredibly high in calories, which comes from sugar in the form of refined fructose corn syrup,” says Dr Chidi Ngwaba, director of the European Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
Refining sugar takes the natural sugar found in sugar cane, removes the fibre and concentrates it to become pure energy.
“Liquid sugar is particularly dangerous as it doesn’t require any digestion in the stomach,” Dr Ngwaba explains.
“So it just goes straight to the bloodstream – sending your insulin levels soaring.”
If this energy isn’t quickly burned off, the raised insulin levels tell your liver to make fatty acids which your body then stores as excess fat – especially around the belly – raising your risk of diabetes and obesity.
“I’d even say you’re better off eating a doughnut as at least it takes longer to digest, as the sugar release is slower and the insulin spike less extreme,” says Dr Ngwaba.
Another problem with the speed at which sugar from a soft drink goes into the bloodstream is that it triggers a “high”, making it very addictive.
“Liquid sugar activates the same neural pathways in the brain as heroin – activating the pleasure and reward centres and making us want more,” Dr Ngwaba adds.
“This is why we see patients hooked on 10 or more cans of fizzy drink a day.”
What does liquid sugar actually do to the body?
Dr Chidi Ngwaba says: “There are few parts of the body that sugary, fizzy drinks don’t harm.” Here we look at some of the more serious health dangers.
Weight gain: If everything else in their diet is equal, a person drinking a single can of cola a day will put on an extra stone per year, just from the calories in the drink alone.
Furred-up arteries: While these extra pounds will certainly contribute to heart disease, many experts believe that drinking sugary fizzy drinks can increase a person’s risk of an unhealthy heart independent of weight gain.
In 2012, a study at Harvard University found that people who drink only one can a day dramatically increase their risk of chronic heart disease.
Dr Ngwaba says: “High levels of sugar in the body trigger the production of unhealthy fats such as cholesterol which we know fur up the arteries, while high insulin levels can thicken and stiffen the arteries – both of which raise your risk of heart attack and stroke.” Fizzy drinks can also raise blood pressure.
Increased appetite: Sugary fizzy drinks can encourage you to eat other unhealthy foods too.
Research at the University of Bangor found that people who drink them before a meal consumed more calories than those who did not. Scientists suggest this might be because they dull a person’s perceptions of sweet tastes and make them crave even more sugary foods.
Fatty liver: “Excess sugary drinks are one of the biggest causes of ‘fatty liver disease’, a lesser-known condition that’s on the rise,” says Dr Ngwaba. He believes fizzy drinks cause more cases of this type of liver damage than excess alcohol.
And a study from Israel in 2009 found that people who had two cans of fizzy fruit drinks a day were five times more likely to develop the condition, a precursor to diabetes, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Cancer trigger: Although more research is needed, some studies have found a link between fizzy drink consumption and a higher risk of certain cancers. “We know that excess insulin levels tell cells to grow in the body, which could encourage tiny pre-cancerous cells all of us have in our body to multiply,” says Dr Ngwaba.
Last year, researchers from Laval University in Quebec found that as women drank more sugary and fizzy drinks, their breast density rose – a known risk factor for breast cancer.
Weaker bones: Many fizzy drinks contain high levels of phosphoric acid which is added to give them a tangy taste. But because the body naturally strives to maintain balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus, when there is excess phosphorus, calcium is released from the bones to correct the balance, leaving them weaker over time.
A study at Tufts University in 2006 found that women who drank cola daily had lower bone mineral density in their hips than those who drank it once a week, regardless of their age, total calcium intake or use of cigarettes and alcohol.
Faster ageing: People who drink the equivalent of two cans of full-sugar cola daily may age more quickly than people who never drink it, according to the University of California.
Its researchers found these people had DNA changes that made their cells nearly five years older, because their telomeres – the tiny caps that protect the ends of chains of DNA – were shorter. Telomere length has an impact on cell repair and has been linked to the formation of wrinkles.
And diet drinks aren’t much better
Switching to sugar-free fizzy drinks is not necessarily a good solution, according to a growing body of research. Last year a large US study involving more than 23,000 adults found that people who were overweight or obese actually drank more sugar-free drinks than people who were a healthy weight.
One suggestion is that although these drinks are sugar-free, they still activate the brain’s “sugar reward” pathways, ensuring the person still has a sweet tooth that causes them to snack more.
Another theory is that the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks can disrupt appetite control.
A recent paper by Dr Susan Swithers at Purdue University in the US looked at all the evidence for and against diet drinks.
She concluded: “Right now the data indicates that over the long term, people who drink even one diet drink a day are at higher risk of the diseases they’re probably drinking diet drinks to try to avoid – such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke.”
So what should we be drinking then?
So when the weather’s hot and you need to stay hydrated are any of the alternatives to fizzy drinks actually any better for us?
Nutritionist Rob Hobson says: “It might sound boring, but water is always best, as even fruit juice, smoothies and other so-called health drinks are still packed with sugar which raises the body’s insulin levels in exactly the same way. They are best as an occasional treat.”
Here’s a list of the sugar content in popular summer drinks in descending order. All but the top three would take you over the recent World Health Organisation recommended daily intake of no more than 25g of sugar per day:
Water - It’s completely sugar-free, try adding slices of lime, cucumber or mint leaves to liven it up
Mineral water with touch of fruit – up to 4g of sugar per 200ml
Bottle of coconut water – 16.5g per 330ml carton
Pure orange juice – 26g per 330ml bottle
Sports drink – 33g per 380ml bottle
Smoothie – 34g per 250ml bottle
Can of cola – 35g per 330ml can
Energy drink – 39g per 355ml bottle
Can of cloudy lemonade – 45g per 330ml can
Can of ginger beer – 51g per 330ml can
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