Life Desk :
The grim reality of just how bad Coke is for you has been laid bare in a new video. It shows exactly how much sugar is left behind once the water is boiled off. The experiment, shared on YouTube by Home Science, pits Coca Cola and Coke Zero against each other. Pouring a 375ml bottle of each into a frying pan, they are placed over the heat.
Once they reach boiling point, the water slowly begins to evaporate. And as it does a disturbing reality is hard to ignore. The frying pan once full of regular Coke is left covered in a thick, black substance – a mass of sugar. In contrast, the remnants of the Coke Zero show a small trace of burnt sugar covering barely a quarter of the frying pan. A can of Coca Cola contains 35g of sugar – exceeding the 30g recommended daily allowance for adults. And it far exceeds the 19g health experts recommend as a maximum for kids aged four to six. Eating too much sugar drastically increases a person’s risk of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Sugar is found naturally in foods, but the sugar in fizzy drinks is known as added sugars.
It’s recommended that added sugars don’t make up more than five per cent of an adults total calorie intake for the day. That’s where the 30g figure comes from, and applies to everyone over the age of 11. But while sugar-free alternatives may seem like the healthier option, a growing body of scientific research has shown diet drinks don’t help fight the flab.
One study, published earlier this year, found diet drinks do not cut the risk of developing obesity-related conditions like type 2 diabetes.
Experts warn they could cause weight gain, by stimulating a person’s sweet tooth and encouraging them to gorge on more.
Another theory is that sweeteners alter the bugs in your gut, making it harder for the body to use sugar effectively. Researchers, Professor Christopher Millet, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, said: “A common perception, which may be influenced by industry marketing, is that because ‘diet’ drinks have no sugar, they must be healthier and aid weight loss when used as a substitute for full sugar versions. “However, we found no solid evidence to support this.”
We now have specific dietary data available that pinpoints exactly where these sugars in our diet are coming from, and the news is not good for soft drink and fruit juice manufacturers.
The World Health Organisation recommends our sugar consumption should only make up five per cent of our total daily calorie intake, which equates to about 25g or six teaspoons per day.
The Australian Health Survey found that in 2011-2012, Australians were consuming an average of 60g of sugars each day, or the equivalent of 14 teaspoons of white sugar.
Not surprisingly, the majority of these sugars were coming from “extra” foods and drinks.
Soft drinks, energy and sports drinks, as well as fruit and vegetable juices make up 32 per cent of the added sugars in our diets. Almost nine per cent of the added sugars we consume are in confectionery, cakes and muffins.
Sugar intake was highest among teenage males, who consumed an average 92g or 18 teaspoons per day. That figure is particularly alarming, because as teenagers we develop food habits we’re likely to maintain throughout our adult lives.
The grim reality of just how bad Coke is for you has been laid bare in a new video. It shows exactly how much sugar is left behind once the water is boiled off. The experiment, shared on YouTube by Home Science, pits Coca Cola and Coke Zero against each other. Pouring a 375ml bottle of each into a frying pan, they are placed over the heat.
Once they reach boiling point, the water slowly begins to evaporate. And as it does a disturbing reality is hard to ignore. The frying pan once full of regular Coke is left covered in a thick, black substance – a mass of sugar. In contrast, the remnants of the Coke Zero show a small trace of burnt sugar covering barely a quarter of the frying pan. A can of Coca Cola contains 35g of sugar – exceeding the 30g recommended daily allowance for adults. And it far exceeds the 19g health experts recommend as a maximum for kids aged four to six. Eating too much sugar drastically increases a person’s risk of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Sugar is found naturally in foods, but the sugar in fizzy drinks is known as added sugars.
It’s recommended that added sugars don’t make up more than five per cent of an adults total calorie intake for the day. That’s where the 30g figure comes from, and applies to everyone over the age of 11. But while sugar-free alternatives may seem like the healthier option, a growing body of scientific research has shown diet drinks don’t help fight the flab.
One study, published earlier this year, found diet drinks do not cut the risk of developing obesity-related conditions like type 2 diabetes.
Experts warn they could cause weight gain, by stimulating a person’s sweet tooth and encouraging them to gorge on more.
Another theory is that sweeteners alter the bugs in your gut, making it harder for the body to use sugar effectively. Researchers, Professor Christopher Millet, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, said: “A common perception, which may be influenced by industry marketing, is that because ‘diet’ drinks have no sugar, they must be healthier and aid weight loss when used as a substitute for full sugar versions. “However, we found no solid evidence to support this.”
We now have specific dietary data available that pinpoints exactly where these sugars in our diet are coming from, and the news is not good for soft drink and fruit juice manufacturers.
The World Health Organisation recommends our sugar consumption should only make up five per cent of our total daily calorie intake, which equates to about 25g or six teaspoons per day.
The Australian Health Survey found that in 2011-2012, Australians were consuming an average of 60g of sugars each day, or the equivalent of 14 teaspoons of white sugar.
Not surprisingly, the majority of these sugars were coming from “extra” foods and drinks.
Soft drinks, energy and sports drinks, as well as fruit and vegetable juices make up 32 per cent of the added sugars in our diets. Almost nine per cent of the added sugars we consume are in confectionery, cakes and muffins.
Sugar intake was highest among teenage males, who consumed an average 92g or 18 teaspoons per day. That figure is particularly alarming, because as teenagers we develop food habits we’re likely to maintain throughout our adult lives.
