Coke and Pepsi promise to reduce 20% calories in their soft drinks

Companies like Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper have announced to work towards reducing the calorie content in the aerated beverages by 20%. The beverage companies look forward to working on this 20% calorie reduction over a time period of a decade. For this, it plans to produce and market smaller sizes, bottled water and diet drinks. The announcement was made at the Clinton Global Initiative. 

A can of Coke (330 ml) contains 139 calories as stated on their official website (Great Britain). Considering the excessive consumption of cola and aerated drinks with meals and junk food, the beverage tends to be more satiating, as per a research. ‘Our work adds important context to a broader ongoing debate about the dangers of liquid calories,’ said professor Jeff Brunstrom from University of Bristol’s School of Experimental Psychology. Meals served with a calorific drink are not considered to be any less filling than the same meals served instead with a snack. The snack and the calorific drink causes only a small increase in expected satiation.‘Calories in soft drinks and calories in snack foods have a small but comparable effect on the expected satiation of meals,’ Brunstrom noted. 

The concern also arises as these soft drinks contain sugar, a can of 350 ml will have 31.5g of sugar. According to the study done by the Credit Suisse Research Institute titled Sugar: Consumption at a Crossroad, 43% of added sugars in our diets came from sweetened beverages. A can of soft drink makes up for eight teaspoons of sugar which is enough for one’s daily consumption. The American Heart Association recommends that adolescents consume between 21 and 33g of sugar per day for children, while adult women should have 25g and adult men 37.5g. One can of soda has enough sugar to fulfill the entire day’s calorie requirements without any nutritional value.  

Other ill-effects of aerated drinks 

May cause type 2 diabetes

As per a study done by Imperial College London, consuming just 350 ml of carbonated beverage a day can also raise your chance of getting type 2 diabetes by 20%. It’s not only weight gain that soft drinks cause but it could be a reason of  an increase in insulin resistance.

Liver and kidney damage

Other researches have shown that sugary drinks damage the liver and kidneys and can also increase the risk of developing cancer or dementia. Studies have also shown a link between soft drink consumption and higher heart disease and hypertension risk. 

You may also like to read: 

• Soft drinks, sugar consumption cause kidney damage


• Are you aware how many calories you soft drink has?


• Are soft drinks as bad as cigarettes for your health?

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