The perils of pop - both regular and sugar-free - have long been a hot topic in nutrition circles. But lately, the dialogue has reached a boiling point as scientific research has come up with some startling revelations- ones that should make you think twice before you reach for that can of pop.
A study, published in the October issue of the journal Obesity, assessed the types of sugars in a number of soft drinks and found that in those that contained high fructose corn syrup, fructose levels were far higher that what most people, including many nutrition experts, had previously believed.
We keep hearing from health researchers and soft drink companies alike that regular pop contains similar amounts of fructose and glucose. This means regardless of the type of sugar listed on the can, the health impact of regular pop would be the same. The study in Obesity blows that claim out of the water.
You may be wondering what the big deal is - sugar is sugar, right? High fructose intakes have been linked to an increase risk of developing insulin resistance and diabetes along with high blood pressure, fatty livers, high triglyceride levels in the blood and even easier weight gain - a pretty gruesome list.
In addition, fructose may boost the production of compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) - substances that have a growing file of ill effects. One of their adverse effects is that they promote inflammation which may at the root of a host of diseases including heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and Alzheimer's. (The caramel colouring in both regular and diet colas also boosts AGEs production, according to research - how's that for a one-two punch?)
It's interesting to note that the makers of high fructose corn syrup recently changed the name to corn sugar as they said it was a more accurate reflection of what it is and to avoid all the implications of a high fructose ingredient. While there has been some criticism about the sample size used in the Obesity study, the new research showing that a number of brands contained as much as 65 per cent fructose - nearly 20 per cent more than was believed - you have to wonder about the health toll of consuming these soft drinks on a regular basis.
No matter what sugar is used, though, these sweetened beverages are not faring well under scientific scrutiny.
A new review study from the Harvard School of Public Health, which was published in the journal Diabetes Care, showed that drinking one to two sugary drinks per day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 per cent compared with those who consumed less than one sugary drink per month.
The risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of disease risks including high waist measures, high blood pressure, elevated levels of triglycerides, a potentially artery-clogging blood fat, low levels of the protective HDL-cholesterol, abnormal glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, also rose by 20 per cent in group that drank more pop.
Diet soft drinks haven't been given a clean bill of health either. But here it appears that the waters are muddier, as scientists try to separate the causes and effects of drinking diet beverages from the behaviours of people those who consume diet drinks in the highest amounts.
For example, diet pop drinkers may weigh more to start. After all, people who weigh too much may be more likely to be concerned with their calorie counts.
One comprehensive scientific paper, published in 2009, looked at the theory that arti?cial sweeteners may increase the desire for sweets and lead to greater consumption of food and weight gain. This research was based on animal studies, but when it comes to humans, results have been conflicting. What's needed are clinical studies where two groups of identical people either consume a certain number of diet drinks or have none at all. Then scientists can finally come up with a verdict.
When it comes to diet drinks, the concerns go beyond whether they can increase your propensity to gain weight. In Canada, acesulfame-K and aspartame are the two artificial sweeteners used by major soft drink makers. How safe are they, you may wonder?
The consumer advocacy group Centre for Science in the Public Interest calls the testing on acesulfame-K "mediocre" as they were not comprehensive enough. They also point to research that shows that large amounts of a breakdown product of acesulfame-K affects thyroid function in some animals. How this impacts humans in the doses present in diet soft drinks is unclear.
As for aspartame, they cite a number of studies that show possible links to cancer and as a result, suggest that people - especially young children - should avoid foods and beverages that contain the sweetener (they recommend switching to products sweetened with sucralose - Splenda - if they are consuming artificially sweetened foods).
And then there's the issue of your pearly whites. Because of their acidic content, soft drinks such as colas, lemon-lime and orange flavours have been linked to erosion of the enamel - not a prescription for maintaining a dazzling smile. The phosphoric acid in pop has also been the centre of investigations into the impact on bone health. However, the link to poor bone health may simply be due to the soft drinks replacing calcium-rich options like milk. Stay tuned for the verdict.
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