Medical Minute: How Much Sugar is in Your Drinks?

Sponsored by Avera

Key Points:

• Sugary Beverages and Health Risks:

  • Many people unknowingly consume excess calories from drinks.
  • Both sugary drinks and artificially sweetened beverages can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Sugary drinks trigger an insulin response that instructs the body to store fat.
  • Artificial sweeteners might affect gut health and possibly cause an undetected insulin response.

• Caloric and Nutritional Concerns:

  • Sugary drinks are high in calories and low in nutritional value, often leading to weight gain.
  • Awareness of sugar content in beverages can be eye-opening.

Sugar Content Analysis:

• **Daily Sugar Recommendations: **
  • Women: max 6 sugar cubes
  • Men: max 9 sugar cubes
• **Findings from 10 Beverages: **
  • 7 out of 10 drinks exceed the daily recommended sugar intake for both men and women.
  • Mountain Dew: 19 cubes of sugar in one 20 oz drink.
  • Vitamin Water: Higher than expected sugar content.

Health Impacts:

• High sugar intake can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.
• Managing diseases like diabetes can be complex.

Support from Avera Health Plan:

• Heart disease care management team provides additional support between patients and providers.
• Aim to improve quality of care and manage healthcare costs.

Final Advice:

• Check calorie and carbohydrate content in drinks before consumption.
• For more information, visit Avera.org.

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Medical Minute report by Michaela Feldman, KSFY News