Research
Energy balance
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) increases the risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes because liquid calories do not suppress subsequent food intake, leading to a net caloric surplus.
Stop drinking sugar-sweetened beverages. Because they are liquid, your body does not register them as food, so you do not eat less later. This leads to extra calories and weight gain. Switch to water or unsweetened drinks to reduce obesity risk.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The relation of these beverages to obesity can be attributed to an increased caloric intake and to the fact that beverages do not suppress the intake of other foods to an appropriate degree – thus beverage calories serve as ‘add-on’ calories enhancing the risk of obesity.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) cited in the text.
Source
Calorie‐sweetened beverages and fructose: what have we learned 10 years later
George A. Bray et al. · Pediatric Obesity · 2013
DOI 10.1111/j.2047-6310.2013.00171.x
narrative_reviewCited 143×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water or diet beverages reduces weight gain in children and adults.Strong
- Consuming two 16-ounce sugar-sweetened beverages daily for six months induces features of metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), including increased liver fat and visceral fat.Good
Related findings · Energy balance
- Achieving a total body weight loss of 10-15% (or >10-15 kg) through Total Diet Replacement (TDR) induces remission of Type 2 Diabetes in individuals with short-duration disease.Strong
- Bariatric surgery is superior to medical management alone for inducing significant long-term weight loss, remission of type 2 diabetes, and reduction in mortality for patients with BMI ≥ 40 or ≥ 35 with comorbidities.Strong
- Achieving type 2 diabetes remission requires significant weight loss (≥15 kg) via major caloric restriction, independent of macronutrient composition.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →