The Impact of Soft Drinks on Weight Loss

Following on from my post last week about soft drink points, I decided to do more research on soft drinks. You always hear that they are bad for you, the question in what way are they bad? There is a lot of research and studies out there and most of them have the same results. There are some that come to different conclusions. The problem with a lot of the research is that it is hard to place soft drinks as the sole factor for the health issues mentioned. Do soft drinks cause weight gain? Probably but most people who consume copious amounts of soft drinks most likely do so while also eating a Big Mc meal. You can take from this post what you wish. 

From a personal perspective, I am a soft drink fiend. I think that by consuming a 7up instead of a bar of chocolate, I have opted for the healthier option. The fact is neither is healthy. They are both laden with sugar. Soft drinks are effectively empty calories. When you eat extra food, you will eventually feel full and stop. This does not tend to happen with soft drinks. As you are consuming liquid, you do not get the fullness feeling which may lead you to keep drinking and eating. It is this correlation that can lead to weight gain. My weight gain was not due to soft drinks but they certainly have not helped with my weight loss. It can be quite easy to forget the liquids we consume. If it passes your lips, it counts.

Soft drinks may give you that quick sugar rush but it can also cause some immediate discomforts. For me, bloating is a big problem when I drink soft drinks. When drinking fizzy drinks, you are effectively ingesting air. When you drink regular soft drinks, do you ever get that dirty feeling on your teeth? I do especially when I drink coke. 

Whether or not soft drinks cause weight gain, there is no denying they cause tooth decay. If you drink more than one soft drink a day then you should be taking preventions to protect your teeth.

On a more extreme level, soft drink consumption has been linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. You may have heard about an Australian woman, Natasha Harris, who died from a heart attack. She consumed approximately 10 litres of Coke a day. The coroner at her inquest concluded that this excessive consumption of Coke was a factor in her death. Coca-Cola has denied this and has said that there is not enough evidence to suggest this. Whether it was or was not a factor in her death, 10 litres of Coke a day is not healthy.

Studies (1) show that those who consume soft drinks were more likely to develop; 

-          High blood pressure

-          High insulin levels

-          Excess weight (especially around the stomach)

-          High cholesterol

Developing these health issues can increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

You may now be thinking, ‘how about I switch to diet versions?’ This may be a short term solution but there are a few things you should consider as well. Diet versions of carbonated drinks are still fizzy. If you are prone to bloating then they may not be the best option for you. Diet drink manufacturers still have to give them an appealing taste or else they will not sell. They add artificial sweetener. The most common sweetener is aspartame. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding aspartame in recent years. Leaving aside all the other possible issues with aspartame, in terms of weight loss, it is not the miracle cure to your soft drink addiction. Artificial sweetener can increase your appetite which can lead to you reaching for fridge door. You may decide to have a can of Diet Coke instead of the Dairy Milk bar. However you could find yourself craving that bar even more after you have the Diet Coke. Artificial sweetener is known to leave your taste buds craving sweet foods. Why? They are sweeter than sugar.

Aspartme is 180 times sweeter than sugar (1)

Acesulfame is 200 times sweeter than sugar

Saccharin is  300 times sweeter than sugar

Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar

Neotame is 7,000/13,000 times sweeter than sugar

That may make you think twice about reaching for the diet versions. Diet soft drinks may help you in the short term, especially with weight loss. However there is no way to tell the long term effects it will have on our bodies. 

Today I am going cold turkey on fizzy drinks, both regular and diet. I am picturing that perfectly toned bikini stomach in July! You may not be able to, or even want to go cold turkey, but start by reducing the amount you consume. If you drink regular soft drinks, switch to the diet versions for a while. Start drinking more water. I know water can taste boring but your taste buds are so used to the sweet taste of the soft drinks. Give yourself a chance to retrain your palate. Do not keep soft drinks in the house. You are less likely to go to a shop and buy them. Do not reach for the chocolate as a replacement, think of the scales! I read somewhere that it takes 21 days to get rid of a bad habit. 21 days without soft drinks seems doable, right?

References:

1. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sugary-vs-diet-drinks/