Reaching for a fizzy drink is often an unthinking habit. It accompanies meals, work breaks, or moments of fatigue, and rarely feels like a decision with long-term consequences.
Because the effects are not immediate, it is easy to overlook how small, everyday choices may accumulate over time.
A study from researchers at the University of Michigan attempts to make those consequences more tangible.
Measuring health in minutes
Instead of focusing only on calories or nutrients, the research team developed a model that estimates how foods and drinks influence healthy, disease-free life expectancy.
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They analysed 5,853 items commonly consumed in the United States, combining nutritional risk factors with environmental indicators.
The result translates dietary choices into minutes of healthy life gained or lost. Within this framework, sugar-sweetened fizzy drinks were associated with a reduction of around 12 minutes of healthy life per serving, on average.
The figure is not a literal countdown, but a population-level estimate designed to illustrate relative health impact.
Why sugary drinks matter
Fizzy drinks contain large amounts of added sugar and offer little nutritional value. High consumption is strongly linked to weight gain, which increases the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and several cancers.
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Researchers emphasise that the risk does not come from a single drink, but from repeated intake over months and years. Small choices, made frequently, can gradually influence long-term health outcomes.
Small changes, cumulative effects
The same study highlights that modest dietary adjustments may lead to measurable benefits.
Replacing a portion of highly processed foods with whole foods was associated with gains in healthy life minutes.
Examples examined by the researchers included:
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- reducing sugary drink intake
- replacing processed meats with plant-based foods
- choosing fruits, vegetables and whole grains more often
The authors stress that no single food determines health in isolation. Diet quality matters most when viewed as a whole.
Still, their findings suggest that everyday habits can shape long-term health in ways that are measurable, even if they unfold slowly.
Sources: LADbible
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