Recently the LDS Church ended its long-standing ban on caffeinated drinks at Brigham Young University. The change triggered several editorials in Utah’s media; some were a bit condescending and judgmental. This blog presents a few references for you to consider on this issue. My only comment is that faith, and/or facts, are the main factors that determine how we live our lives, and what choices we make when it comes to the beverages we consume. I say let us be tolerant of each other’s beliefs.
References on Soda (Coffee below)
Drinking one fewer soda per week can limit weight gain over two years.
TIME (9/21, MacMillan) reports a study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that drinking even one fewer cans of soda per week can result in one fewer pound gained over the course of two years. According to TIME, “On the other hand, those who added about a can of soda to per week to their diet gained 0.66 lb more than those who didn’t alter their soda habits. Making it a daily ritual was linked to even more weight gain.” The authors were also hesitant to recommend diet drinks, writing, “although there is evidence to support that sugar-free soda consumption might result in weight loss by limiting energy intake, some studies have suggested that intake of noncaloric sweetener could result in metabolic abnormalities and weight gain.”
Artificial Sweeteners Alter Gut Response to Glucose
European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2017 Annual Meeting. The association between artificially sweetened beverages and type 2 diabetes risk is similar to that seen with sugar-sweetened beverages, even after adjustment for adiposity and energy intake (often those with prediabetes reach for artificially sweetened as an alternative to sugar).
Sugar- and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia, J. Stroke. 2017;STROKEAHA.116.016027, Originally published April 20, 2017
Sponsorship of National Health Organizations by Two Major Soda Companies, Am J. Prev Med http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2016.08.010
From 2011 to 2015, the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo were found to sponsor a total of 96 national health organizations, including many medical and public health institutions whose specific missions include fighting the obesity epidemic. During the study period, these two soda companies lobbied against 29 public health bills intended to reduce soda consumption or improve nutrition. There is surprisingly pervasive sponsorship of national health and medical organizations by the nation’s two largest soda companies. These companies lobbied against public health intervention in 97% of cases, calling into question a sincere commitment to improving the public’s health. By accepting funding from these companies, health organizations are inadvertently participating in their marketing plans.
Intake of Caffeinated Soft Drinks before and during Pregnancy, but Not Total Caffeine Intake, Is Associated with Increased Cerebral Palsy Risk in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, J. Nutr. 2016 146: 1701
Drinking artificially sweetened drinks in pregnancy shows link to overweight infants, BMJ 2016; 353 :i2625
Artificial sweeteners produce the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements, J. Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, Epub July 10 2013
Consumption of artificial sweetener– and sugar-containing soda and risk of lymphoma and leukemia in men and women, Am J Clin Nutr 2012 96: 1419
Sugar-sweetened beverages, weight gain, and incidence of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women, JAMA 2004 Aug 25;292(8):927-34.
References on Coffee
Coffee containing caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness and restlessness, stomach upset, nausea and vomiting, increased heart and breathing rate, and other side effects. Consuming large amounts of coffee might also cause headache, anxiety, agitation, ringing in the ears, and irregular heartbeats, http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-980-coffee.aspx?activeingredientid=980.
Coffee decreases mortality, http://bit.ly/1MhQhtlAm J Epidemiol 2015. http://annals.org/aim/article/2643435/coffee-drinking-mortality-10-european-countries-multinational-cohort-study J. Annals of Int Med Aug 15 2017
Coffee consumption and mortality from all causes, Cardiovascular disease, and cancer: a dose response meta-analysis, J. Epidemiology 2014;180:763
Changes in coffee intake and subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes: three large cohorts of US men and women, J. Diabetologia July 2014
Coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. However, it remains to be determined how changes in coffee intake influence subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes. In this issue, Bhupathiraju et al provide the results of an analysis of data on coffee consumption from the Nurses’ Health Study. They report that individuals who increased their coffee consumption by more than 1 cup/day over a 4 year period had an 11% lower risk of type 2 diabetes in the next 4 years. Conversely, participants who reduced their coffee consumption by more than 1 cup/day had a 17% higher risk for type 2 diabetes. Participants with high stable consumption, those who consumed more than 3 cups/day at baseline and maintained this level of consumption for 4 years, later had a 37% lower risk compared with those who maintained consumption at less than 1 cup/day. These data provide novel evidence that changes in coffee consumption habit are related to type 2 diabetes risk.
More than 1.5 cups of coffee a day lower inflammation and risk of DM by 54%, European J. Clinical Nutrition, Epub July 1 2015
Coffee reduces risk of depression and Diabetes, Eur J. Clin Nutr August 2015.
Drink coffee to avoid Alzheimer’s Disease: study shows older adults benefit, June 5th 2012, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Higher coffee consumption may impact risk for developing MS, meta-analysis indicates
The CBS News (3/3, Marcus) reports that the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) “was higher in adults who downed fewer cups of coffee every day,” the findings of a two-study meta-analysis published March 3 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry reveal. Included in the meta-analysis were a study “from Sweden, involving 1,620 adults with MS and a comparison group of 2,788 healthy people, and a US study including 1,159 people with MS and 1,172 healthy people.” HealthDay (3/3, Norton) reports that in both studies, people “who downed about six cups of coffee a day were almost one-third less likely to develop MS than non-drinkers were.” What’s more, “the link was not explained away by factors such as people’s age, education or income levels, or smoking and drinking habits.”
Coffee lowers risk of Parkinson’s Disease, https://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/2015/10/02/coffee-drinking-lowers-risk-parkinsons-type-2-diabetes-five-cancers-harvard-researchers/
