How Do Soft Drinks Cause Obesity? See What Experts Say

The consumption of these beverages leads to adverse effects on metabolism, triggering insulin spikes and decreasing satiety, ultimately resulting in bloating and weight gain.

Know about soft drinks and obesity

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Soft drinks, with their widespread availability and aggressive marketing, have become a significant contributor to the escalating obesity rates, especially among India's youth. The consumption of these beverages leads to adverse effects on metabolism, triggering insulin spikes and decreasing satiety, ultimately resulting in bloating and weight gain. In addition, frequent consumption of soft drinks is associated with an elevated risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that heighten the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, all of which are linked to obesity.

In this regard, Dr. Vishal Sehgal, who is the President of Portea Medical said, "High sugar content specially Fructose, a common ingredient in soft drinks, accumulates fat in the abdominal region, thereby elevating the risk of central obesity. Several recent studies have highlighted the link between soft drink consumption and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents. The need of the hour is to prioritise health awareness and education."

But, before that, let's know what obesiy is.

What Is Obesity?

Dr.Arnab Kar, who is an MBBS, MD(General Medicine) and a Consultant Physician at ILS hospitals Howrah explained, "Obesity is a complex patho physiological problem with genetic, metabolic and environmental factors controlling it. The primary source of storage fat in our body is dietary carbohydrate (Sugar-is its simplest form). A rise of storage fat to a significant level is known as obesity which is responsible for increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and many other health hazards."

How Many Calories Do Soft Drinks Contain?

We often take soft drinks to fulfil our thirst in hot climates but forget to notice the extra amount of calories we are taking with it. According to Dr. Arnab Kar, "A usual carbonated soft drink contains approx 200-300 Kcal of energy, added sugar and caffeine, which helps to relieve the thirst as well as acts as a mild stimulant. A normal healthy adult with mild to moderate active life requires 1600-1800 of Kcal a day. Anything above this is stored as fat unless a person burns its calories by exercise."

"Soft drinks are easy means of calorie. Even zero sugar drinks (so called ‘diet’ drinks) are made up of artificial sweeteners, the long term metabolic effect of which are not fully understood. If we compare a natural fruit juice with a carbonated beverage having same calorific value, the former far exceeds the later in terms of nutritional quality considering the vitamins minerals and dietary fibre along with it," he added.

Reasons Why Sugary Drinks Are Bad For Health:

Nutritionist Harleen Gill said, "Sugary drinks are beverages that contain added sugar or other sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, and fruit juice concentrates. This includes soda, pop, cola, tonic, fruit punch, lemonade (and other “ades”), sweetened powdered drinks, as well as sports and energy drinks. When consumed in excess, added sugar can adversely affect your health."

She also went on to share the reasons why sugary soda is bad for your health.

1. They are strongly linked with weight gain:

When it comes to ranking the healthiest beverages, sugary drinks fall to the bottom of the list because they are high in calories and lack nutrients. People who drink sugary beverages do not feel as full as if they had eaten the same calories from solid food. Thus, when you consume liquid sugar, you usually add it on top of your total calorie intake — because sugary drinks don’t make you feel full.

2. Large amounts turned into fat: Table sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup are composed of two molecules — glucose and fructose. Glucose can be metabolized by every cell in your body, whereas fructose can only be metabolized by one organ — your liver. When you consume too much, your liver becomes overloaded and turns the fructose into fat, the fat gets shipped out as blood triglycerides, while part of it remains in your liver. Over time, this can contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

3. They may cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes: The hormone insulin drives glucose from your bloodstream into your cells. But when you drink sugary soda, your cells may become less sensitive or resistant to the effects of insulin. When this happens, your pancreas must make even more insulin to remove the glucose from your bloodstream — so insulin levels in your blood spike. This condition is known as insulin resistance, the main driver behind metabolic syndrome — a stepping stone towards type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

4. They give a higher risk of cancer: Cancer tends to go hand-in-hand with other chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. For this reason, it is unsurprising to see that sugary drinks are frequently associated with an increased risk of cancer. Postmenopausal women who drink a lot of sugary soda may also be at greater risk for endometrial cancer, or cancer of the inner lining of the uterus.

5. High Sugar consumption linked with Dementia: Dementia is a collective term for declines in brain function in older adults. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease. Research shows that any incremental increase in blood sugar is strongly associated with an increased risk of dementia. In other words, the higher your blood sugar, the higher your risk of dementia.

When it comes to our health, it’s clear that sugary drinks should be avoided. There is a range of healthier beverages that can be consumed in their place, with water being the top option. You can also try naturally flavoured sparkling water just by adding a splash of juice, sliced citrus, or even some fresh herbs.