The Fight Against Sugar Continues
In a study performed by Kimber Stanhope, a nutritional biologist at the University of California, Davis, people have been donating their bodies to science, well, more like their stomachs. The study was setup like this: start off giving the subjects meals without added sugars then start allowing them precisely measured, sugary drinks. During the last two weeks of the study, they subjects were given three sugary drinks a day to equal about 500 calories of sugar, or, if you follow the 2,000 calorie a day diet for adults, 25% of one's daily calories.
When this switch to 500 daily calories from sugar occurred, the LDL cholesterol levels of the participants went up, raising their risk for heart disease. This may seem like a lot of calories and the study is going to the extreme but when you think about it, it really isn't too far-fetched. A 12 ounce can of regular soda ranges from 140-170 calories, drink three of those a day and you're at (or pretty close) the 500 calorie mark. For those concerned with weight loss, what is easier to do: give up three sugary drinks a day or get two hours of physical activity in?
Note - I am aware most soda contains high fructose corn syrup and not pure, natural sugar but it all gets broken down to the same stuff once it enters the body. Learn more about this here: "What are Carbohydrates?".
The fight against sugar is not just with soda, it involves all sugary drinks. This can include juices, flavored milks, tea, punches, and others. This is a double-edged sword, especially with the juices. There are great benefits to consuming orange juice, especially when it is fortified with calcium and vitamin D. In this case, the positive effects outweigh the negative effects the calories have. On the other end, a fruit punch that offers no nutritional benefit is something that can be cut out immediately.
If you are setting a weight loss goal, be sure to check your daily eating habits as a starting point. It could be as simple as switching to water for hydration instead of a drink that is high in sugar.
The original source of this article can be found here: http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/27/health/soda-obesity/index.html