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Are calories from sugar-sweetened soft drinks 'empty' calories?
The row about the relationship between sugary drink consumption and spiraling obesity took center stage at the American Dietetic Association (ADA) conference this week with two academics going head to head on one of the most controversial areas of nutrition science.
In the red corner was Dr Theresa Nicklas, professor at the Children's Nutrition Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine, who pointed out that the percentage of energy derived from sugar sweetened beverages was steadily falling, which made it hard to argue that soft drinks were responsible for rising obesity rates.
She also claimed that evidence suggesting sugary drinks played a major role in obesity was inconclusive, with some studies suggesting a link and others not. She also noted that overweight and obese people frequently avoided full sugar drinks and that added sugar consumption could explain “virtually none of the variances in adolescents’ BMI scores”.
Meanwhile, there was “no evidence” that a soda tax would decrease obesity, and if prices went up on soda, consumers would probably just switch to fruit juice instead, she predicted.
Finally, singling out one nutrient or product group was not the way to address obesity, she argued. “If we’re going to tax soft drinks, why not tax pizza or donuts? We are righting the wrong battle here. We need a total diet approach.”
Liquid vs solid calories
In the blue corner stood Dr Barry Popkin, distinguished professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who argued that calories from sugary drinks do not fill us up in the same way as solid foods, meaning people that consumed large volumes of soft drinks were at particular risk of taking in too many calories.
He added: “If we take in 200 calories in liquid, we won’t eat 200 fewer calories from foods [to compensate].”
While the difference between 'calories in and calories out' was what ultimately influenced weight gain or loss, the source and type of calories consumed did matter, with evidence suggesting that high consumption of refined carbohydrates increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic health problems, he claimed.
“You can always say yes, we need more randomized controlled trials, but there comes a time when you have to take a stand… If we’d waited for all the evidence on tobacco to act we would still have been arguing about it in 2002.”
It was also important to look carefully at the source of funding for research in this field, he argued, with studies backed by beverage companies more likely to deliver ‘industry-friendly’ results, he claimed.
Research funding
However, one audience member pointed out that the quality of the research - which could be independently assessed once it was published - should matter more than the funding source.
Another delegate also challenged Popkin’s empty calories hypothesis about liquid calories by pointing out that the first food humans consumed was a liquid (breast milk) which was uniquely satiating.
However, a third delegate took issue with Nicklas for appearing to support the ‘there are no bad foods, only bad diets’ argument, and prompted a round of applause in the auditorium by arguing that some foods were self-evidently healthier than others, making it perfectly reasonable to single out certain foods or beverages for criticism, especially if they contributed significantly to overall calorie consumption.
10 comments (Comments are now closed)
Personal Responsibility
People need to take a look in the mirror before they start blaming others for their problems. Take responsibility for your own actions in life. If your fat stop eating so much and start to exercise. Don't make the others pay for your actions.
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Posted by steve
05 October 2011 | 14h49
Obesity is a multi-factoral epidemic.
We've went through these scare-tactics just last year with Dr. Lustig's erroneous claims...Please Read the debate linked below between Alan Aragon and Dr. Lustig:
http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/
Taxing sodas is ignorant. Gary, reducing 1 soda per day, let's say it comes out to 200kcal, would = less calories consumed. You cannot compare a diet let's say of 2000kcal to that of an 1800 kcal, that is simple math...you eat less you point lipolysis in favor of the 1800kcal per day consumption, nothing magical about that. You add that 200 kcal back in from whole grains or any other carbohydrate source, and it will have no difference than that of the other 2000kcal diet consumed. Likewise, one could debit 200kcal from whole grains, to bring a consumption of 1800kcal, and it would not necessarily be much different than that coming from a 200 kcal debit in soda. Soda is not satiating, so it is easy to consume too many calories in a small amount. If you can manage your intake, and manage to keep overall daily calories under control, then you will be fine. I'm not advocating everybody go out and drink sodas in the place of healthier options like fruits, but these scare tactics get ridiculous at times.
Also, as a side note to the debate, DOSAGE AND CONTEXT was never specified. Fructose in moderate amounts can be very beneficial, but too much fructose consumed from sodas can = bad things. Most studies cited these days, as was the case with Lustig's scare tactics, use studies involving supraphysiological doses of fructose, which are not common in most consumers diets, or in nature (fructose isolated).
Obesity is a MULTI-factoral epidemic, and to single-out one particular factor, is just mind-boggling.
Also, we have to take context into consideration here. Somebody drinking 2 sodas and managing their daily intake is going to be a lot different than somebody who also consumes food and beverage intakes well above their daily intakes. Overall calorie consumption is what ultimately leads to weight gain or loss.
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Posted by Johnny
30 September 2011 | 19h38
A no- brainer?
I thought this was a no-brainer - sugary drinks are tied to weight gain. What happened to the value of common sense? Not scientific enough?
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Posted by ellen briggs
30 September 2011 | 17h30
carbs and metabolism
If a person metabolises carbohydrate well eg quick uptake of glucose into muscles, normal insulin response to a rise in BGL etc, then drinking soda or fruit juice should not be a problem. If however a rise in BGL is met with a larger insulin response eg due to muscle insulin resistance, the change in glucose pathways and altered biochemistry will be conducive to weight gain through effects on hunger, satiety, increased DNL etc. Soda and fruit juices could contribute to these changes in an IR person, however the value of singling them out is questionable.
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Posted by Jennifer Elliott
29 September 2011 | 23h14
HISTORY
In the early 1900's,Dr. Harvey Wiley, father of The Pure Food/Drug Act and head of The Bureau of Chemistry, attempted to ban the combination of caffeine and sugar in sodas.He was a sugar metabolism expert who had studied at the Imperial Labs in Bismark ,Germany.Sodas trigger the release of Dopamine, the most implicated neurotransmitter in addictive behavior.There are many people who consume 10 sodas per day. As for Dr. Nicklas's POV, for anyone who wants conclusive proof re sodas and weight gain....cut out the soda for one month and watch what happens!As an aside, Dr. Wiley also banned the use of corn syrup as a food additive and the bleaching of flour white.He warned that if we ever allowed corn syrup to be used in the food supply, we would become a nation of diabetics. There are 26 million diabetics in the U.S. and 366 million worldwide according to the International Diabetes Assoc. Alloxan, the uric acid breakdown by-product of the flour bleaching process, destroys the beta cells in the pancreas. The beta cells are responsible for producing insulin.
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Posted by gary kaposta
29 September 2011 | 18h46
Education and parenting
I agree with both doctors in that the problem is the amount of sugary drinks adding to the total calories and not the drinks alone. Going to the root of the problem...Education on the basics of nutrition and portion control/serving size is where we are lacking. There is a push to educate parents and students in making healthy food choices. Let's focus on this! We are a new consumer generation with packaged foods and restaurants giving us what we demand; More food for the money. We have to know that what they serve us isn't because the restaurant wants us to live long healthy lives. It's to get you to spend more and come back again.
Take charge and teach your kids that one sugary drink now and again is fine but it isn't a major food group. Obesity is an epidemic because we eat to much and don't exercise enough. It can't be blamed on one thing alone
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Posted by Lari Bright, R.D.
29 September 2011 | 00h33
Stopping the roots vs the leaves
Ultimately I think the problem with sugary drinks - sodas as well as juice - is that it's hard to tell when you've had too many. If you sit down and eat a whole bag of chips, you're going to feel like you just ate a whole bag of chips. The only thing you're likely to feel after dusting off 10 cans of Pepsi is an overwhelming urge to go to the bathroom (and possibly a massive sugar rush).
When it comes down to it, beating the obesity problem isn't going to be about taking out the sources one by one. It's going to have to come from a number of angles - ending corn and soybean subsidies, lowering the cost of whole foods vs processed foods, encouraging sustainable farming while attempting to reconcile it with genetic modification, and, probably most importantly, a cultural paradigm shift that encourages people to be, and stay, healthy.
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Posted by Nick Massa
28 September 2011 | 18h59
SUGARY FLAVORED DRINKS - SLOW POISON !
I am glad to hear that finally people are getting educated on the bad effects of SOFT DRINKS. Apart from an over dose of sugar, the drinks carry addictive caffeine, artifitial colours, chemical-preservatives, cola nut extract !?, phosphoric acid, etc. This sweetened flavoured sugary drinks are slow poisons.
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Posted by M.K.HARIDAS
28 September 2011 | 18h24
Sugar-sweetened beverages
I wish I could have had the opportunity to see this debate. I agree with Dr. Nicklas that a total diet approach is needed to make a difference in the increasing obesity rates. I also agree with Dr. Popkins that sugar-sweetened beverages contribute excess calories (200 calories of beverage is commonly an addition to the diet, not a substitution for solid calories). I conducted my research for my thesis on The Effect of Sugar-sweetened Beverage Consumption on BMI in 19-24 year old college students and unfortunately was unable to find statistical significance between the two variables. I do still believe that sugar sweetened beverage consumption can have an effect on weight gain.
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Posted by Andrea Griffin, MS, Dietetic Intern
28 September 2011 | 18h14
Should we vilify sugary drinks?
I think that most agree that obesity is caused by a multitude of factors. Sugary drinks can certainly contribute but do not cause obesity. I enjoy regular pepsi or coke occasionally but I am not obese. If I drink a coke but run a marathon, I feel safe to say that I don't have a problem.
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Posted by Dr. Jeanine L. Mincher, RD, LD
28 September 2011 | 18h13
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