Are ‘prebiotic sodas’ any good?
There has been a rising popularity of soda alternative advertisements on social media. Brands like Olipop and Poppi claim to make ‘prebiotic sodas’s that are beneficial to your gut, but are these companies actually good or do they just have colorful packaging and incredible marketing tactics?
Let’s start by examining what we know about regular sodas. A bottle of Coca-Cola (20 fl oz) has 240 calories with 75mg of sodium and a whopping 65 grams of added sugars! The ingredients include carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavoring, and caffeine.
High fructose corn syrup is the second largest ingredient in a Coke (yikes!), but why is fructose bad? Well, the small intestine clears most dietary fructose, but excessive fructose overwhelms the capacity for intestinal fructose clearance which causes fructose to spill over to the liver and colonic microbiota (1). The fructose spillover into the liver can increase fatty liver or visceral adiposity and cardiometabolic health impairments (2).
A study found that daily consumption of sucrose-sweetened drinks (like Coke) compared to milk, water, and diet cola resulted in a significant increase in visceral adipose tissue, liver fat, and muscle fat. The increased consumption of heavily sweetened drinks can lead to metabolic dysfunctions like cardiovascular disease, Type II Diabetes, obesity, NAFLD, insulin resistance, and many other issues (3).
Compared to regular sodas, prebiotic sodas do not have excessive added sugars or high fructose corn syrup. The fact that these sodas have 10 times less the amount of sugar per can already makes them a better option, but are they actually good for your gut? The ingredients in a Poppi soda are sparkling water, organic cane sugar, organic apple cider vinegar, organic agave inulin, natural flavors, and some juice concentrates. The Poppi website states that “Prebiotics are a special type of fiber that can act as food for healthy bacteria in your gut. Each can of poppi includes agave inulin, a prebiotic (and natural sweetener!) extracted from the agave tequilana plant. ” A 12oz can has about 25 calories, 4 grams of sugar, and only 2 grams of fiber . According to the Mayo Clinic, the recommended daily fiber intake for men under 50 is about 38 grams and 25 for women (4). Two grams of fiber per can does not even makeup 1% of the total recommended dietary fiber intake. Their biggest claim being that they are a prebiotic soda cannot be supported by such a small fiber percentage. Poppi has a big social media presence and is often advertised by ‘health-and-wellness’ influencers. They have colorful websites and packaging that make the drink ‘cool,’ but they are falsely advertising their drink as a prebiotic drink. Drinking their soda would have little to no effect on your gut.
The other popular prebiotic soda brand, Olipop, might be a better alternative to both Poppi and Coke. An Olipop soda has 9 grams of fiber per can (about 23–36% of the recommended daily intake) with only 2–5 grams of added sugar. The ingredient list for an Olipop soda varies depending on the flavor but all sodas have “OLISmart Ingredients” which consists of cassava root, chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, nopal cactus, calendula flower, kudzu root, and marshmallow root.
Olipop sodas have a lot of prebiotics, so what are the benefits? The main prebiotic found in an Olipop soda is inulin. Inulin is a soluble dietary fiber that can be derived from chicory and jerusalem artichoke (5). Inulin promotes the growth of Bifidobacterium, a beneficial bacteria, and it promotes the production of short-chain fatty acids. SCFAs are important for your health because they can provide energy to your colon and intestine cells to maintain the mucous barrier. SCFAs can also help reduce inflammation by entering circulation through the portal vein and act as signaling molecules. Inulin also restored the diversity of gut bacteria in mice with a high-fat diet. Inulin regulates the reproduction of immune cells that increase intestinal inflammation. Inulin helps maintain the intestinal-barrier homeostasis and the mechanism can be seen in the figure below. (5)
The claim that a soda is healthy is a bit of a reach, but ‘prebiotic sodas’ like Olipop are definitely a great alternative to other sodas with an excess of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. This soda should not be your only source of fiber, but it might be a great pairing with other fiber-rich foods.
Citation
(1) Jang, C., Hui, S., Lu, W., Cowan, A. J., Morscher, R. J., Lee, G., … & Rabinowitz, J. D. (2018). The small intestine converts dietary fructose into glucose and organic acids. Cell Metabolism, 27(2), 351–361. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2017.12.016
(2) Hannou, S. A., Haslam, D. E., Mckeown, N. M., & Herman, M. A. (2018). Fructose metabolism and metabolic disease. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 128(2), 545–555. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI97219
(3) Maersk, M., Belza, A., Stødkilde-Jørgensen, H., Ringgaard, S., Chabanova, E., Thomsen, H., … & Astrup, A. (2012). Sucrose-sweetened beverages increase fat storage in the liver, muscle, and visceral fat depot: a 6-mo randomized intervention study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95(2), 283–289. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.111.022533
(4) Mayo Clinic Staff. (2022, November 4). Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983
(5) Sheng, W., Ji, G., & Zhang, L. (2023, August 10). Immunomodulatory effects of inulin and its intestinal metabolites. Journal of Functional Foods, 97, 104553. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2023.104553
