In 2016, the United Kingdom government has decided to impose tax on beverages containing sugar. The higher the sugar content the higher the tax. Presumably, this was in response to the increasing obesity, diabetes and tooth decay occurrences. Does sugar single-handedly drive fizzy drink consumption? What place do fizzy drinks occupy in our daily lives?
Before that, let’s establish the standard nutritional values of a 330mL fizzy drink such as Coca Cola:
Total energy = ~139 kcal
Fat – 0g
Protein – 0g
Salt – 0g
Sugar – ~35g
Image obtained from Google Images.
From this, a fizzy drink is essentially, sugar in water. Technically, sugar is classified as carbohydrates, but many common food types such as dairy, fruit and grains contain more than enough carbohydrates. Do fizzy drinks serve as an alternative to these carbohydrates sources?
Not exactly, carbohydrates come in three subtypes – sugar, starches and fibers. Sugar is referred to as simple carbohydrates e.g. fructose and glucose. Ultimately, any carbohydrate will be converted to glucose, the main nutrient for energy. Simple carbohydrates do not require extensive conversion processes and so spike blood sugar levels within a short period of time. Starches are chains of sugars and require relatively more time to be converted and so blood sugar levels rise progressively. There is solid amount of evidence indicating implications of significantly raised blood sugar levels. Therefore, no, the sugar in the fizzy drink would be a disastrous alternative carbohydrate source, in the long run. Not to mention, fibers which are the indigestible carbohydrates, although are not converted to glucose (in humans), contribute to the mass of stools, which has its own associated benefits.
Additionally, fizzy drinks do not possess any auxiliary nutritional value i.e. vitamins or minerals. For example, a bag of rice is a common food source of carbohydrates (starch), but also some protein and comes with potassium, some sodium, calcium, iron, vitamin B6 and magnesium and of course these have associated valuable effects. Now, the sugar in fizzy drinks has particular value when blood sugar levels are significantly depleted, in reality, fizzy drinks should not have a place in our diets, but they do. In my opinion, primarily taste and to a lesser extent caffeine explain this. You could argue points such as its cost, convenience, thrist quenching, convincing advertisements etc., but all those points are fundamentally taste (and caffeine).
All mammalian representatives experience a favourable taste regarding sugar. This, of course, is reasonable because mammals’ primary source of energy is glucose, and from an evolutionary perspective, this is very advantageous as recognizing food which tastes sweet likely indicates the energetic value of that food. The favourable taste is called sweetness, and the taste stimulates distinct neural pathways and generates distinct behavioural responses, when compared to bitter taste, for example. In fact, Grill and Norgren suggested sugar induces pleasure sensations in rodents, could this relate to the feeling of satisfaction after having a meal? At any rate, fizzy drinks on their own may act as a consumable to please sugar craving, provide some energy, and in combination with caffeine promote craving/addiction. I touch a little bit on caffeine in my other blog.
The video below provides some perspective to sugar addiction.
Furthermore, the sweetness of fizzy drinks may serve as a great way to dilute certain other tastes. This is particularly evident in alcohol consumption. Ethanol that underpins alcohol consumption, which I also touch on in my other blog, involves chemosensory irritation (burning sensation) as part of its taste. Weak alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine contain low-moderate levels of ethanol and a significant number of other additives which dampen the taste of ethanol. However, stronger alcohols such as whiskey or vodka are considerably more concentrated with ethanol. Fizzy drinks are a great way to dilute the overwhelming burning sensation and introduce sweetness into the mix. Interestingly, diluted alcohol tends to be absorbed into the blood stream faster than undiluted alcohol.
Collectively, fizzy drinks do not provide any beneficial value in terms of nutrition. Of course, there is no reason why one should not enjoy a sugar rush once in a while or double the enjoyment of alcohol. Simply be aware that this enjoyment does not become a habit.
Liked the Blog? Or maybe you didn’t. Try the others!
Coffee: an underlying drug?
Beer: from enjoyment to addiction
Green tea: toxicity?
Water: it’s healthy, right?
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