In a party or social gatherings, men often consume alcohol, while women and men who avoid alcohol (non drinkers) opt for soft drinks (coke and commercial fruit juices). Some try to have best of both worlds by concealing alcoholic drinks with coke or having mocktails.
Alcohol enthusiasts typically drink 3-4 large pegs of rum, whisky or scotch at such events. Meanwhile non drinkers often match this with 2-3 cans worth of the soft drinks, believing that the soft drinks are not harmful and can be taken liberally.
In my opinion, this trend of consuming soft drinks during a party is harmful to health. A standard 300 ml bottle of pepsi/coca cola has up to 25 grams of sugar. If you take two can/bottles worth of any soft drink, you may consume up to 50 gms of sugar in a short period of one to one and half hour. As per WHO, the upper limit of sugar consumption for a male is 9 gm and for a female is 6 gm. By the WHO standards, this consumption of sugar is extremely high. In my opinion, even WHO recommendations are high. Sugar consumption from all sources should not exceed 3-4 teaspoonful in a day.
Sugar consists of one molecule each of glucose and fructose each. Consumption of 25-50 gm of sugar, that too on an empty stomach, creates sugar spikes. When sugar is consumed on empty stomach, it is absorbed quickly flooding the blood with glucose and fructose. Pancreas has to secrete large amount of insulin to tackle this high load of glucose. High levels of insulin is a key feature in the genesis of NCDs (non communicable diseases). The glucose spike also damage the glycocalyx layer of blood vessels which takes more than 24 hours to heal itself. The peaked glucose level also causes glycation reaction which accelerates ageing process. Each time a sugar spike is produced, it hammers your arterial wall and damages them. Repeated damage to arterial walls makes them prone to atherosclerosis and its consequences like high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.
Fructose is 100% metabolized in liver. The high load of fructose has to be tackled by liver. It has to work in emergency mode to clear the fructose from blood. For detailed information on the harmful effects of sugar, please read the article “sugar is toxic“. Regular consumption of coke and commercial fruit juices will give rise to fatty liver (NAFLD), hypertension, diabetes etc.
Both alcohol and sugar are metabolized in liver in a similar fashion. We know that alcohol damages liver causing alcoholic liver disease. Fatty liver is the initial stages of liver damage followed by cirrhosis and failure. Sugar (fructose part) also damages liver and has now become a leading cause of non alcoholic fatty liver disease. .
Now, the question arises: which is more damaging—alcohol or sugar? My verdict is sugar. Unlike alcohol, which is not consumed everywhere or at all times due to societal taboos, sugar is free from such restrictions. Soft drinks and sugary foods can be consumed anywhere, anytime, without stigma.
We don’t give alcohol to children, but sugary foods and drinks are freely offered to infants and children, often without considering the long-term impact. When alcohol is mixed with soft drinks like Coke, it combines two harmful substances, amplifying their damaging effects—particularly on the liver. Similarly, mocktails, often loaded with sugar, can pose an even greater risk. Remember, each time you consume high sugar containing food items, you push yourself nearer to the risk of heart diseases, diabetes, NAFLD and cancers.
So stop taking soft drinks in a party. A healthier alternative is to take a unsweetened lime water (with or without soda) or unsweetened cold coffee/tea. However, if unsweetened lime water isn’t your preference, a better option might be a light beer. Best is to avoid alcoholic and soft drinks at all.
After food and drinks, hitting the dance floor will be a good idea, to reduce the ill effects of sugar partially as post meal physical activity reduces glucose spikes.
Remember sugar is toxic. Avoid sugar rich drinks during social gatherings, if you do not take alcohol.
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