Revealed: the WORST carbonated drinks for your health – and the surprising non-diet drink that’s the healthiest

Scientists have long known that those who regularly drink soft drinks, such as Coke and Sprite, are more likely to suffer from a host of heart and dental problems, compared to those who opt for water instead.

But now a study has revealed the worst offenders: some cans contain five times as much sugar and four times as many calories as others.

The unhealthiest of the bunch is Coca Cola Cherry, which contains almost three teaspoons of sugar and almost the same calories as three chocolate chip cookies.

However, if your favorite pop is old-fashioned American soda, you may not be as sensitive to its negative health effects.

One 330ml can of Barr American Cream Soda contains less than two teaspoons of sugar and less than 10 calories.

Lemonade fans are in luck, too: a can of R-Whites Premium Lemonade contains two teaspoons of the sweet stuff and fewer calories than an apple.

NHS guidelines recommend consuming no more than six teaspoons of ‘free’ sugars a day – that is, sugars found in cakes, sweets, chocolates and fizzy drinks.

Just behind the cherry version, the original was also found to contain a high amount of sugar, a teaspoon more than a Mars bar, but about the same calories as the cherry version.

More than 3.2 billion cans of carbonated drinks were sold in Britain in 2023

The analysis has also highlighted how energy drinks vary depending on sugar content. For example, you get a little more sugar in Red Bull for the same amount of regular Coke, and about the same calories.

While a large can of Monster isn’t much different in terms of sugar, it will set you back 235 calories – about 100 more than a Red Bull, even though it’s twice the size.

The better news is that a 380ml bottle of Lucozade contains about half the sugar of the Coke cans, but about the same calories.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, energy drinks high in caffeine have previously been linked to five deaths and one nonfatal heart attack.

More than 3.2 billion cans of fizzy drinks were sold in Britain in 2023, and experts have long warned that the ’empty’ calories they contain are responsible for the expanding waistlines of thousands of people.

A 2010 study by experts at Harvard University found that people who drink one can or more of sugary drinks per day have a 26 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The condition can develop when the body becomes less effective at storing and controlling blood sugar levels, which is the job of the hormone insulin.

According to the latest figures for Britain, almost 4.3 million people were living with diabetes in 2021/2022. And another 850,000 people have diabetes and are completely unaware of it, which is worrying because untreated type 2 diabetes can lead to complications including heart disease and stroke.

“It gets to the point where the cells in your body have had so much insulin that they become dysregulated and can’t cope anymore,” nutritional therapist Jeannette Hyde told the Telegraph.

Emerging evidence shows that drinking lots of sugary drinks may also increase the risk of heart disease because they are thought to increase triglycerides – a type of fat that can thicken the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

High sugar intake, especially from sugary drinks, has also been shown to lead to fat buildup in the liver, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and – possibly, according to some studies – a higher risk of liver cancer.

Experts have debated whether it would be beneficial to swap your favorite sugary drink for the sugar-free alternative.

“They are a great first step for someone looking to reduce their sugar intake,” Beth Bradshaw, a public health nutritionist, told the Telegraph.

Recent studies have shown that the artificial sweeteners used in soft drinks, such as aspartame and sucralose, can also lead to insulin resistance over time.

Professor Tim Spector, the brains behind diet app ZOE, wrote for MailOnline: ‘Man-made sweeteners do not occur in nature, most come from the petrochemical industry and they are not inert, harmless substances.’