Following the news that a Starbucks hot drink may have 25 spoons of sugar in it, more experts are now warning against the effects of hot sugary drinks. According to the health experts, hot sugary drinks are linked to negative short, medium and long term effects.
Dr. Tony Goldstone from Imperial College London, an endocrinologist and obesity expert told CNN that immediately after drinking hot sugary drinks, the body can suffer from a spike in sugar levels. This makes the pancreas release more insulin than usual. This can result in a sugar crash, which can stimulate your craving for other foods.
In the medium-run, or after a year of having hot sugary drinks daily, fats can take form under the skin, guts, liver, and even the pancreas, he said. This can lead to many complications. "Fat is a very active organ, it releases lots of chemicals and hormones that are damaging to health and cause inflammation," Goldstone said. Over time, both the liver and pancreas can be stressed, which can lead to severe diseases.
In the long run, or after a decade of having these drinks, a person may more or less have increased risk of diabetes, especially those who have genetic history of diabetes in the family. While people who consumed these drinks may not look overweight, the doctor said it is worrying that there is a lot of fat around their organs. "Having a sedentary lifestyle, drinking too much alcohol, consuming a lot of sugar, and genetics" can all affect the way the body stores fat,"said Goldstone. "You don't necessarily know it -- just like you can have high blood pressure and not know it -- you can have fat in the your liver and abdomen and not know it," he added.
It is best to avoid these drinks, experts say. A Starbucks drink alone could already have three times the amount of sugar in one can of Coke, and more than three times the maximum adult daily intake as pushed forward by the American Heart Association.