It is not surprising that regular consumption of sugary drinks like soft drinks lead to an inefficient metabolism; resulting in the reduced ability to burn fat. However, it is surprising that the switch to inefficient metabolism can occur in lightly active lean males and females drinking soft drinks for only four weeks! A recent article citing this research published in the European Journal of Nutrition summarized that sugary drinks change the way muscles use food as fuel; making muscles prefer burning sugars over fat…similar to muscle metabolism in Type 2 diabetics and obese individuals. And to make matters worse, our bodies, adjusting to regular soft drink consumption, prepare for the future (sensing that more sugary soft drinks are on the way!) by changing muscle metabolism to prefer burning sugar over fat. A double whammy!
Take home message: drinking soft drinks even for a short amount of time reduces your body’s ability to burn fat. Swap out the soft drinks for water, unsweetened beverages, and iced herbal teas! Your muscles will thank you with an efficient metabolism!
