A nutritional expert has said that people are loading up with calories from drinks unnecessarily – and implored people to change their habits. Speaking on the Zoe Health podcast, Professor Sarah Berry, who has been researching food for 20 years at Kings College, London, said that a huge proportion of the calories people in the UK consume come from liquid refreshments.
She explained that as well as food, people need to take much greater care of what they are drinking. She explained: “What you drink can have a huge impact on your health, and I’m not just talking about alcohol. On average, 18% of the calories we consume comes from drinks.
“Most of the drinks we consume today are incredibly high in sugar and lack any nutritional value. Research over the years has consistently. High consumption of soda leads to poorer health outcomes, and sugar-sweetened beverages seem to be driving non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is a serious and rapidly growing metabolic disorder. Switch sugar-sweetened drinks for drinks that can support your health, like coffee, green tea, black tea or water kefir.”
Nutritional scientist Tim Spector has spoken about the health impacts of coffee and has previously said: “Drinking coffee is actually really good for you. Reduces your risk of heart disease by a third. That’s good news for coffee lovers, but again, it’s probably due to the microbes eating your coffee and producing healthy chemicals.”
He has previously spoken up about a drink which he said had been ‘demonised’ as it has a short term negative impact on heart rate and blood pressure. The scientist said that coffee is packed full of essential nutrients and a surprising amount of fibre, but studies have shown that it could reduce the risk of heart attacks by 25%.
“Coffee is a health food, and we should all be drinking at least three cups a day, according to the latest science. And it doesn’t matter if you don’t want caffeine, just have decaf. It’s probably just as healthy.
“In fact studies have shown that moderate coffee intake—about 2–5 cups a day—is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and depression. It’s even possible that people who drink coffee can reduce their risk of early death.”
Drinking up to four coffees a day can reduce the risk of type two diabetes and high blood pressure, according to one study. The benefit is lost if more than four cups of coffee are consumed, however.
Researchers from the universities of Navarre in Spain and Catania in Italy found an “association between coffee consumption and a decreased risk of type two diabetes” and that “long-term coffee consumption is associated with a decreased risk of hypertension”. The study suggests a moderate consumption of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee may be associated with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome.
Diet expert Dr Federica Amati has said: “When we look at population data, coffee drinkers as a whole live longer, have reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.”