I have written a number of articles about sugary drinks. New research has suggested that sugar-sweetened colas and soda drinks are just as dangerous as illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
We would certainly not identify drinking a fizzy drink with taking a class A drug. However, this research suggests we should do just that, and look closely at our consumption and that of our children.
Sugar-sweetened drinks cause more deaths every year than illicit drugs. In addition, they add billions of euros to healthcare bills through diabetes, heart disease and the cancers they are causing.
The drinks are killing around 180,000 adults every year around the world (of course, the drinks are never directly cited as the cause) although their lethal effects are not recognised.
Manufacturers are not forced to place warnings on cans and bottles, say researchers from Harvard University in the US, who are the first to estimate the death rates from soft drinks (Presentation at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism, 2013). Statistics in the US show that around 25,000 people die from regularly drinking colas when compared with 18,000 people who are murdered across the US and 24,000 who die from taking an illicit drug.
The researchers warn that this may be an optimistic picture, as their research has concentrated on deaths from chronic disease among adults; the figures could be far worse if children and adolescents were included, as they probably drink more soft drinks than any other age group.
If you have diabetes, cardiovascular disease or are overweight, you should be avoiding all colas and sodas
Mexico has the highest death rate among adults from consuming colas. The population drink more soda drinks than anywhere else. Mexicans spend around $14.3 billion (€10.8bn) each year buying colas and sodas.
The average Mexican drinks 43 gallons each year, which is equivalent to 688 cans of the 330ml standard cola cans. In comparison, the average American drinks around 31 gallons of soda each year, or 496 cans.
Not only does Mexico have the highest soda-related deaths in the world, but it also has one of the highest rates of diabetes, second only to the US. It also has the highest rate of childhood obesity.
The association between sugary drinks, obesity and diabetes is hardly controversial; however, it points to the true extent of the problem.
The researchers were astonished by the speed at which drinking colas and sodas can change our metabolism. Whether you drink two cans a week, or one can a day, your metabolism will start changing within 30 days. You will start to increase weight and your insulin resistance will increase. These symptoms are often the precursors of diabetes and heart disease (Eur. J. Clin. Nutr., 2012).
How can you change your habits if you are a regular consumer of colas? If you drink one can a day, you are improving your odds; however, you are still almost doubling your risk of stroke, cancer and heart problems compared with someone who drinks water or natural fruit juices.
If you are a man, you are also around 40 per cent more likely to develop an aggressive form of prostate cancer. You can, however, offset the worst effects of drinks by eating a healthy diet. You then reduce your odds to 31 per cent (Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 2012).
What if you drink one can every few days? The American Heart Association believes it is safe for us to drink 450 calories of sugar-sweetened colas a week, and that equates to about two or three standard 330ml cans every week.
This ‘sensible advice’ flies in the face of research, which suggests you are still gambling with your health. The issue is that the drinks will increase insulin levels whether you drink one or two cans a week or every other day.
If you have diabetes, cardiovascular disease or are overweight, you should be avoiding all colas and sodas, according to research.
What about diet colas? I hear you say. The problem with the diet drinks is that they are usually sweetened with aspartame, which has been linked to every chronic condition going; people have even marched on the White House to get it banned.
Other warnings include osteoarthritis. If you already suffer from osteoporosis, don’t drink colas or sodas, as they speed up the crippling effects of the disease. Cartilage in the knee joints break down more quickly in people who drink around one cola each day.
If you drink five or more cans of cola a week while you are pregnant you run the risk of developing a form of diabetes known as gestational diabetes. Babies born to mothers with this condition are more likely to be obese, glucose intolerant and suffer from early onset diabetes (Diabetes Care, 2009).
Finally, colas can send potassium levels in the blood crashing down and this can cause serious muscle problems and paralysis. However, the research shows that you have to be drinking around two litres of cola a day, and the paralysis went away when the consumption was halted (Int. J. Clin., 2009).
kathryn@maltanet.net