One 350 ml can. That is all it takes.
A study published in Diabetologia found that drinking just one 12-ounce — roughly 350 ml — can or bottle of a sweetened carbonated drink a day raises the risk of developing diabetes by as much as 20%. Not a crate. One can!
It is not only the sugar
A single can carries the better part of a day’s worth of added sugar, and because it arrives as a liquid, it goes down without any of the signals that tell a child they have had enough. The sugar comes in fast; the body has to deal with it fast, and doing that day after day wears the system down.
And it is not only diabetes
Regular aerated drinks sit behind an entire list of the things we see in the clinic: dental decay, weight gain, and even aggressive behaviour. We have written about that last one separately: Is your child aggressive? Blame it on the aerated drink!
What about the diet and zero-sugar versions?
They avoid the sugar load, which is something. But they do nothing at all for the habit we actually want to build, which is a child who reaches for water when thirsty. They are a step sideways, not a step forward.
Packaged juice is not a safe alternative
It looks like one. Most packaged fruit juices carry about as much sugar as a soft drink, minus the fibre that makes the whole fruit worth eating in the first place. Give the fruit.
What we suggest at home
- Water is the default drink. Milk with meals. Everything else is occasional.
- Do not keep it in the refrigerator. What is not in the house does not get drunk.
- Whole fruit rather than juice.
- Aerated drinks belong to birthdays and weddings, not to Tuesdays.
None of this needs to become a battle. Children copy what the adults around them drink far more reliably than they follow what they are told, so the easiest change to make is usually the one you make for yourself.
Reference: Diabetologia, DOI 10.1007/s00125-013-2899-8