Accra: That bottle of soft drink, fruit juice, energy drink, or other sweetened beverage may seem harmless, but frequent consumption could have serious consequences for your health, a medical doctor at Solis Hospital, Dr. Ebow Daniels, has warned.
According to Ghana Web, regularly consuming drinks with high amounts of added or free sugar can contribute to health problems, including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, gout, dental caries, and obesity. Speaking recently on Channel One TV, Dr. Daniels explained that while a sugary drink may not necessarily be considered poisonous after a single consumption, frequent and excessive intake could become harmful over time.
Dr. Daniels remarked, "In toxicology, a poison is anything that, when you take it, can harm you dangerously; that's why it becomes poisonous if consumption becomes chronic." He urged consumers to pay attention to the sugar content of beverages, noting that additives, sweeteners, and carbonation can make highly sugary drinks more appealing.
He further elaborated, "If I give you 12.5 to 15 cubes of sugar, you will not like to take it. But once it has been composed into your bottle like this, and other additives and sweetness and carbonation have taken place, you'll be very, very happy to take it." He also cautioned against assuming that drinks made from natural ingredients are automatically healthy.
Dr. Daniels suggested that eating whole fruits is preferable to regularly consuming fruit juice because the fruit retains its fiber, which helps slow the absorption of sugar and provides a greater feeling of fullness. "When you are doing that, you are taking it with a fiber. The fiber comes and then you get some element of satiety with it," he explained. Squeezing several fruits into a single glass of juice makes it easier to consume a large amount of sugar quickly.
He further explained that frequent consumption of sugary drinks causes repeated spikes in blood sugar, increasing the demand for insulin from the pancreas. "But every day, you are giving it the sugary drinks. It means that the pancreas has to be working 24/7. And then what happens is that after some time, it gets tired and some of the cells die off," he said.
Prolonged excessive consumption could contribute to insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. The doctor also linked excess sugar consumption to weight gain, explaining that excess body fat can contribute to inflammation and insulin resistance.
On hypertension, he noted that excessive sugar consumption can interfere with the normal functioning of blood vessels. "When the cells and the blood vessels cannot relax, the diameter becomes narrow. And then the blood pressure goes up," he explained.
Dr. Daniels emphasized that naturally occurring sugars are not necessarily harmful when consumed in their natural form and in moderation. "Natural sugars are not problematic if they are taken in their natural state and they occur in their natural state," he said. However, he stressed that quantity and frequency remain important. "The whole thing is about the frequency; what tastes sweet for a minute may burden your metabolism for years," he warned.
Dr. Daniels urged the public to make healthy food and drink choices.