A paper just published by Auckland University researchers has revealed that sugar in drinks is more dangerous than sugar in foods.
The paper was published in Obesity, the official journal of The Obesity Society and was authored by Dr Gerhard Sundborn, of the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences along with several co-researchers, Dr Bodo Lang and Dr Simon Thornley, also from the university.
The paper reviewed the existing evidence from around the world.
Researchers found that compared to sugar in solid food, sugar in drinks carries a greater risk of causing harmful metabolic changes that lead to chronic illnesses such as obesity and diabetes.
“This is due to its concentration, quantity and the speed with which sugar is metabolised when consumed in liquid form rather than solid,” says Dr Sundborn, a senior lecturer in the School of Population Health.
The review included eight studies that directly compared the metabolic effects of liquid and solid sugars.
Another finding from the review of evidence was that from 2002 to 2016, consumption of sugary drinks increased in New Zealand, compared to the United Kingdom and the United States, where the total sugary drink intake was steadily falling.
“It is clear that sugar in drinks is more dangerous than sugar in foods, which means we should focus our efforts on sugary drinks initially,” says Dr Sundborn.
Dr Sundborn and his co-researchers say the finding provides more evidence for introducing a tax on sugary drinks to promote better health.
A typical ‘power’ or energy drink contains 27 grams, or about seven teaspoons of sugar per 236mL of drink (roughly one cup), compared to 26 grams in the same volume of fizzy drinks and 24 grams (six teaspoons) each for sweetened teas and flavoured milk.
“We have one of the highest rates of child obesity and adult obesity in the world, and our Government and Minister of Health, Hon Dr David Clark, need to implement a tax on sugary drinks to address this issue,” said Co-researcher, Dr Simon Thornley also in the School of Population Health.
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