'Healthy' drinks pack a sweet and sour punch

By KATHERINE HOBY

Consumer beware - many so-called "healthy" drinks contain harmful levels of sugar.

A Consumers Institute survey has turned up some uncomfortable results for the figure and health-conscious.

Drinks with a healthy image can offer benefits, including calcium and protein.

But what may shock drinkers is the sugar level.

Some of it is added, some is there naturally, yet it still has the same nasty effect on teeth.

And fruit drinks we might grab off the shelf as a substitute for soft drinks have as much or more sugar than the fizzy stuff.

Recent additions to the beverage section are some of the worst offenders, according to the survey.

A single bottle of Arano's Feijoa Frenzy contains 14 teaspoons of natural sugar.

A Fresh'n'Fruity Yoghurt Smoothie contains 11 teaspoons of added sugar - a teaspoon more than in a can of Coke.

Sugar attacks teeth by reacting with plaque (a thin layer of bacteria on the surface of teeth) to produce acids.

These then attack the tooth enamel and cause decay.

Sweet-tasting drinks, both regular and sugar-free, also contain acid that erodes tooth enamel.

Unlike the decay caused by sugar, this does not require the presence of bacteria.

The damage can be avoided if water is substituted for sugary drinks. And it can be minimised if you keep sweet or acidic drinks for mealtime.

This is when saliva production is high. Saliva helps to protect teeth by washing the sugar and acid away.

The sipper bottles favoured by the young are a major contributor to tooth decay and damage.

Sipping or sucking on anything sugary over a long period of time is the surest way to damage your teeth.

New Zealand Dental Association president David Crum says his biggest concerns are children developing "baby bottle" caries, and young adults showing up with decayed teeth.

Both groups are developing problems by constantly sipping fruit juices or energy drinks from sipper bottles or baby bottles.

Mr Crum says that in the last five years he has started seeing severe cases of tooth decay in teenagers and young adults.

"These are the gym-goers and gym-bunnies who constantly have the bottle in their mouth fuelling up on liquids.

"They're basically just bathing their mouths in sugar constantly."

He says that even though he knew sugar levels were high in some juices and energy drinks, he was surprised at the levels revealed in the Consumer survey.

Some of the saddest cases he sees are very young children with rotting teeth.

Dentists cannot do much once the teeth have rotted, he says. It is traumatic for young children to have an anaesthetic and their teeth removed.

"Some of these kids have just been sucking on bottles of sugar-water constantly since a very early age.

"They might as well eat sugar in some cases."

Coca-Cola used to get the blame for tooth decay, but Mr Crum says that has been overtaken by sugary juices and sports drinks, which are now the "bad guy" in dental health.

Auckland Kindergarten Association general manager Tanya Harvey says kindergartens supply water for the children to drink.

"We do see kids sucking on juices in sipper bottles and baby bottles from home constantly throughout a day.

"We suggest the children drink from a cup periodically so they're not having sugar constantly on their teeth."

Some parents are well-meaning but confused about the drinks they give children, Mrs Harvey says.

"Some wouldn't give Coke but would give juice as a good alternative. And some won't give Coke but would give Fanta."

It is up to individual kindergartens if they wish to provide a drink alternative to water, but many do not because of the cost.

"And we do like to teach good habits."

Health and sports dietitian Jeni Pearce says consumers need to be aware of what they are drinking.

"People don't read labels. They see fruit mentioned and think it's going to be fine."

She says consumers often read the front of the label but do not study the back, where crucial information is written.

"Marketing teams are going to put their best foot forward, of course. That's their job," says Ms Pearce.

"But it is, or it should be, a responsible consumer's job to learn to read labels."

Some of the drinks mentioned in the survey - particularly the smoothies - have good properties, including being milk-based and containing calcium and protein, she says.

But trendy "energy drinks" such as V and Red Bull do not help an inactive person.

"You can't have a high-energy drink that's low in calories.

"Many people swigging away at the cans are not burning off those calories."

Apart from reading labels, she advocates eating and drinking in moderation, and consuming what is appropriate for an individual lifestyle.

And the ideal thirst-quencher?

"What about water? People just forget about water."

Herald feature: Health