Just say ‘no’ to soda pop question
America’s favorite drinks such as Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew and others get quite the bad rap these days. Nutritionists, researchers, moms and school principals are accusing the drinks of causing diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity and other serious diseases. But what adverse health effects can really be attributed to the sugary drinks children, teens and adults crave?
Janet B. Anderson, USU nutrition and food science professor and registered dietitian, said although there are theories stating soda may directly contribute to serious diseases, the real problem with soda is that it acts as a replacement for more nutritious drinks.
“It’s really a replacement problem,” Anderson said. “What we’re finding in research is that people who drink large amounts of soda, especially teens, are primarily at risk because they are replacing nutrient dense drinks (milk, water, real fruit juices) with soda.”
According to Center for Science in the Public Interest, companies produce enough soda pop annually to provide 52.4 gallons to every man, woman and child in America. The same source states the average American gets 7 percent of their calories from soda and the average teenager gets 13 percent of their daily caloric intake from the sugary stuff. Between 56 percent and 85 percent of children in school have at least one can of soda every day.
Anderson said that by replacing milk with soda, teens and young adults aren’t getting the nutrients they need to develop bone mass and density to protect against osteoporosis. She said many people don’t understand that men and women continue to develop bone mass into their 20s, but the growth stops between the ages of 20-30. Bone mass stays stagnant or decreases slightly until menopause in women or 50-60 range in men. Anderson said women begin losing bone mass and density rapidly due to hormonal changes in menopause, and that is often when women develop osteoporosis.
“The concept we try to teach is that college students are still developing bone,” Anderson said. “It’s important (especially for women) to develop as much bone as they can … because at menopause women lose bone really fast.”
Anderson said if women’s bones are weak before menopause they will likely develop osteoporosis and have problems with brittle spines, wrists and hips. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, a survey indicated that “teenage girls in the United States are less likely than teenage boys to get enough calcium. In fact, fewer than 10 percent of girls age 9-17 are actually getting the calcium they need each day.” So, not only are girls more susceptible to osteoporosis by nature, most are extremely calcium deficient.
Anderson said the other main problem with soda is the high amount of empty calories with little nutritional value. Instead of snacking on fruits or vegetables, people are drinking 150 empty calories from a 12 oz. can of soda that offers no nutrients, causing them to feel hungry again soon.
Moderation is key in determining how much soda a person should limit themselves to, but Anderson said “moderation” varies person to person.
“It depends on the individual,” she said. “If a person struggles with weight we really need to get them off soda or get them on diet soda.”
Anderson said choosing diet soda or using half regular soda and half diet soda is a good solution to cutting the high calories in drinks.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu