Sweet drinks don’t satisfy thirst, but they do contain calories

Sugary drinks, while popular, are almost completely unnecessary and can cause a variety of health issues.

These drinks are marketed to consumers as being healthy despite the health risks. Labels highlight antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, green teas, Taurines, Guaranas, Ginsengs, Ginkgo Bilobas, and “energy”.

Even when obesity is discussed, mainstream media pays relatively little attention to these “functional drinks” and other sweet beverages.

Sweets that are risky

Drinking sugar-sweetened drinks is clearly linked to health problems such as obesity and metabolic syndrome, Diabetes, tooth decay, and reduced bone density.

Australian studies have also shown that soft drinks are frequently advertised and featured in 24% of food outdoor advertisements near primary schools.

The sugary drinks are the main source of energy for Australian children. They get more energy than any other food or drink.

Australian adults consume more calories from “extra food” (soft drinks sweetened with sugar) than they do from traditional Aussie meat pies, despite the fact that margarine, muffins and cakes, as well as beer, contribute to this excess energy.

The study

Media coverage of a health issue can influence attitudes and behaviours.

We set out to investigate whether the media portrays sweet drinks as healthy and why their health risks may not get as much attention.

Content and frame analysis was used to examine the coverage of non-alcoholic sweet drinks in major Australian newspapers over a period of one year.

We asked what sweet drinks were most frequently covered, why sweet drinks make news and how sweet drinks’ health benefits are presented.

The results

In our analysis of newspaper articles about sweet, non-alcoholic beverages, we found that coverage was positive, and fruit juices were primarily presented as having health benefits.

Some articles mention the dangers of sugary beverages, including obesity, tooth decay and metabolic syndrome.

Fruit juices and carbonated soft drinks with sugar sweetened were the most popular sweet drinks.

The analysis of the news angle (topic of headline/lead sentence) in the articles revealed that 14% of them focused on the health hazards of sweet drinks. Closely following were 11% of articles talking about their benefits (largely focusing on fruit juices), and 3% of articles leading on the debates on the benefits of sweet beverages.

Nearly a tenth (9%) of articles focused on the potential profits from sweet drinks. However, the same percentage also highlighted the dangers in the non-alcoholic beverages market like the struggles of “Mother.”

Fears and Benefits

We found that around a third of articles (31%) presented sweet drinks positively, while 22% framed sweet drinks negatively.

In 43 articles, 53% of the time, sweet drinks are linked to health and 42% to benefits.

In 23 articles about marketing sweet drinks, 61% described it as harmful. 26% framed it as beneficial. And 12% stated it as harmless.

There was a low level of prominence for stories: only one (about the fruit juice in bottles that rots toddlers’ teeth), and less than 15% of articles were on the first five pages.

The health effects of sweet drinks could be a low priority in the perceptions of what’s important.

Mixed drink messages

Media coverage of sweet drinks is not as extensive as that of obesity.

Media coverage of the health risks associated with sweet drinks is minimal, while messages about health are abundant.

Fruit juice has a more complex impact on health because, while it contains as much sugar as fizzy drinks combined with vitamins, it also often includes both.

Other studies found that there was no link between the recommended level of fruit juice consumption and obesity.

There is evidence to suggest that an extra serving of fruit juice per day may increase the risk of diabetes.

Our study’s mixed drinks messages may give the impression that experts are divided. However, there is a growing consensus that soft drink consumption is unnecessary and harmful to health and that it should be limited.

The Public Health Association of Australia has suggested that soft drinks with sugar cost more. There is also a global push to tax drinks sweetened with sugar.

Reducing sweet drink consumption can reduce obesity by up to one-third.

When you feel thirsty, remember that you don’t have to consume calories in order to quench it.