Sugar Sweetened Beverages, Weight Gain, and Risk of Diabetes 

I have noticed that a large number of overweight individuals are vehemently opposed to the use of artificially sweetened soda beverages. To hear them talk, one would almost be convinced that Coca Cola is a health food! Certainly, there are also many overweight individuals who are using diet sodas, and it doesn’t appear to be helping them. For example, if you order a double hamburger and fries at Wendys, having it with a diet drink isn’t going to make a huge difference in the final calorie count. There are some who actually think that the use of artificially sweetened beverages contributes to weight gain despite the fact that they contain zero calories. One possible mechanism by which this might be true is that the sweet taste sensation (whether via sugar or an artificial sweetener) may play a role in the excess release of insulin. When insulin levels are higher, more calories are stored as fat. I don’t believe this is a problem for everyone, as there are many lean individuals who stay that way yet consume diet soda. Clearly the artificial sweeteners are loaded with other potential problems due to their chemical nature. It’s really best to drink clean water as much as possible.

I am no fan of the artificial sweeteners, but soft drinks are in fact the leading source of sugar in the American diet. An average sugar count might be 40 grams per 12 ounce bottle. That is about 10 teaspoons of pure unadulterated sugar with zero nutritional value. A new and interesting statistic coming out of the ongoing Nurse’s Health Study revealed that over an 8 year period these women gained an average of 17 pounds if they started drinking at least one sugar-sweetened soft drink per day. In addition, daily consumption of these beverages doubled their risk of becoming diabetic. The weight gain connection with sugary beverages was also found to be true with children. I just thought you might like to know.