New breakfast soft drink may promote weight gain and Type II diabetes

Saturday, February 23, 2013 by: Celeste M. Smucker, MPH, PhD
Tags: soft drinks, breakfast, type-2 diabetes

(NaturalNews) A new breakfast drink came on the market this year to meet a demand of people who want caffeine in the morning, but not from coffee or tea. Created by a major soft drink manufacturer; it contains caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners a few vitamins and a little (five percent) juice. At 16 ounces, it is legal in New York City where larger, sugary drinks are banned as of March, 2013. While it is marketed as a healthy drink, the new breakfast beverage is actually one more way for consumers to ingest ingredients that promote both weight gain and Type II diabetes.

The more sweet drinks you have; the more you want

Adding an additional sugary drink can increase the desire to drink and eat more sweets later in the day.

A 2011 study conducted in the UK found that adding sugary drinks to a person's daily diet decreased their enjoyment of sweet taste and increased their desire for more sweets. The study compared overweight people with their thin counterparts and found that the former have a lower sensitivity to sweet tasting soft drinks and a higher subconscious craving for sweets. At the same time, thin people who don't normally consume soft drinks experienced reduced sensitivity to sweet beverages similar to that of the overweight subjects after just four weeks of drinking two sugary drinks a day.

These results suggest that people who add a breakfast soda to their day could increase their intake of sugary beverages and food later in the day, leading to weight gain and a higher risk for Type II diabetes.

Artificial sweeteners promote Type II diabetes and obesity

While the new breakfast drinks have sugar, they also contain artificial sweeteners. Unfortunately, having more artificial sweeteners does not protect consumers from weight gain or the development of Type II diabetes as has been demonstrated in a number of studies.

A 2013 animal study compared two groups of rats. Both ate yogurt but one was sweetened with sugar, the other with either saccharine or aspartame. While their caloric intake was the same, the rats that ate artificial sweeteners gained more weight than did those that ate sugar.

In a recent French study of 66,000 women, researchers examined their drinking patterns in relation to their diabetes risk. While both regular and diet soda increased this risk, it was actually greater for diet soda drinkers. It was 15 percent greater for those drinking 500 ml (or about two cups) per week and 59 percent greater for those drinking 1.5 liters per week.

Caffeine promotes weight gain and Type II diabetes

Caffeine is a main justification for creating the new breakfast drink advertised as an alternative to coffee and tea. Unfortunately, caffeine is also associated with reduced insulin sensitivity.

In a 2007 study of 16 healthy adults, researchers used a double blind, crossover study to measure the impact of caffeine on insulin levels. They found significantly higher insulin levels after caffeine consumption compared to a placebo and concluded that caffeine reduces insulin sensitivity.

The connection between caffeine and insulin may be cortisol. Caffeine causes spikes in cortisol, the fight or flight hormone, which in turn encourages increased appetite and insulin secretion to help speed blood sugar into the cells. These chronically elevated insulin levels can lead to Type II diabetes while increased appetite promotes weight gain. Cortisol also encourages the body to store visceral fat associated with metabolic syndrome and a variety of serious and chronic health conditions including Type II diabetes.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.bris.ac.uk/news/2011/7679.html

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666312004138

http://www.cbc.ca

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17998023

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com

About the author:
Celeste Smucker is a freelance health writer and blogger with years of experience in sales and marketing. She is also a meditation teacher and staff member at Synchronicity Foundation located in Virginia's blue ridge mountains.

In addition to writing for NaturalNews.com she blogs about how to live younger longer with joy and vitality at celestialways.com.