Do you know what you're drinking?
We’re constantly told about the negative health effects fizzy drinks can have on our bodies, and a new study has warned that they contain far more harmful sugars than the labels say.
The drinks, which include Coca Cola, Sprite, Dr Pepper and Mountain Dew, contain more fructose than people realise, the research revealed.
As a result this could result in the development of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver disease; this is because unlike glucose, which is converted into energy, fructose is processed by the liver into fat.
The research revealed that fizzy drinks contain as much as 50% more fructose than glucose and the U.S. team who conducted the study explained that the human body was not designed to process this combination of sugars.
The research, published online in the journal Nutrition, found that beverages and juices made with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) all contain 50 per cent more fructose than glucose.
Dr Michael Goran told the Mail Online the blend called into question claims that sugar and HFCS are essentially the same.
He said: ‘We found what ends up being consumed in these beverages is neither natural sugar nor HFCS, but instead a fructose-intense concoction that could increase one’s risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver disease.
‘The human body isn’t designed to process this form of sugar at such high levels. Unlike glucose, which serves as fuel for the body, fructose is processed almost entirely in the liver where it is converted to fat.’
The study, by the Childhood Obesity Research Centre at Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, examined the ratio of fructose to glucose in 34 popular brands by analysing their chemical composition.
Tagged in Health Healthy Body