timalkin

I don't drink alcohol, but I drink about 4 or 5 carbonated soft drinks every week. Which is worse for me? I drink soft drinks while my buddies drink alcohol, but who is hurt more?

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shakran

it depends largely on what alcohol they're drinking. Beer, for example, is pretty fattening, while other drinks aren't so much.

Tophat665

On the other hand, the so called French Paradox of long life and relatively good health while swilling red wine also holds true for beers made with dark grains. Evidently, the same antioxidents found in red grape skins are also present in roasted barley malts. Guinness is indeed good for you. Now, as for beer being fattening, much of the data that is used to show the amout of sugar in beer is calculated before the yeast has done its work. Now, a good beer will still have sugars in it, but they will be longer sugars - all the mono and disaccharides will have fermented out, and, with lagers, much of the trisaccharides too. So the peril of a diet rich in alcholic beverages is somewhat overstated, unless you decide to drink dessert wines, candy liqueurs, or the strongest, sweetest beers. There's a reason fat and stout and portly all mean roughly the same thing.

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jgp

you are comparing apples and oranges. if you are comparing calories, then 1g alcohol =7KCal, and 1 g Carb=4KCal. If you find not being able to put down your sodas, try switching to diet. Initially, it tastes bad, but you'll get use to it. In addition after switching you'll notice yourself losing some weight pending that nothing else changes in your diet. As for Alcohol, it obviously has it pro and cons.

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hannukah harry

well, part of the french paradox also has to do with the fact they exercise a lot more than america. they actually walk from place to place instead of driving much more than in america.

on the topic question though, i really don't think one is necessarily better or worse than the other. a soft drink will have suger in it, beer will also have some carbohydrates in it. alcohol does slow down your metabolism and often eating goes on with drinking and you dont' really notice how much you eat.

drinking too much alcohol has it's obvious problems... getting really drunk and passing out, possibily hurting yourself due to lack of motor control, drinking and driving risks, longterm you're looking at liver problems if you abuse it. alcohol poisoning.

drinking too much pop can contribute to diabetes (the suger), or (according to some, but still unsubstantiated) cancer (diet pop- the aspartame) along with other aspartame related sensitivities, caffiene addiction (and the withdrawl sucks), cns disturbance with an overdose of caffiene.

in moderation, neither are really bad for you, and both can have benefits (the 'frence paradox' with alcohol and better heart health due to stress relief, caffiene will improve your alertness).

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Cowman

Drinking alcohol does more damage then simply being a lot of calories. Your body has significant trouble burning it off, and thus your metabolism is slowed; there was a page kicking around claiming that fat-burning was slowed down by as much as 73% for the duration that the alcohol is in your system, even if you're just having a beer(or glass of wine).

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hannukah harry

i dont' know that i'd call that 'damage.'

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Cowman

True enough. But, either way, your fat burning is going to be significantly slowed down by drinking alcohol.

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Ultimate_Gohan

Well this is one tough one. Beer has lots of calories which can make you gain bad weight.
My friend who worked out with me said he used them as a cheat meal. One or two a day.
He could lose weight but he was content.
And for soda, I think it is actually worse. The sugar, carb, and acid contents are very high in just one can. If you have diabetes, it is the worst thing you can take. You can even die from them. One can has more caffine than 2 cups of coffie.
Soda rots your teeth and I never heard beer do that.
Personally, I don't drink either one but I would have to say soda is worse.

Cowman

Man, please know what you're talking about before posting.

Alcohol is WAY worse then soda. Beer will rot your teeth just the same as pop, and it will also do a number on your liver, intestinal lining, etc etc. 1 to 2 beers a day will drastically slow your metabolism, and make it very hard for the *majority* of us to lose weight.

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timalkin

So basically everybody has a different opinion.

I was thinking more along the lines of what's worse for your body, such as the liver, stomach, kidneys, etc.

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welshbyte

A lot of alcohol usually damages your liver and insides and over time can give you an unsightly (IMO) beer belly. Soft drinks like colas will erode your teeth, play havoc with your blood sugar levels and your sleep patterns and also give you gas Alcohol and caffeine are both addictive. We all know what happens when alcohol takes over your life but caffeine addiction isnt that well documented but can ruin your life on a day-to-day basis by making you tired after the initial boost during the day and not letting you sleep easy at night. Both types of drink can also give you the squirts (eww).

I personally don't like to drink a lot of alcohol except on social occasions and when i'm at home i prefer not to drink fizzy sugary soft drinks like coke. I usually go for water based drinks like Ribena because it has a lot of vitamin C in it. Mostly just stuff which you add a tiny bit to a glass, add water and it tastes lovely. I like to drink milk whenever i can too although it doesnt last long and its probably a bit expensive to keep drinking milk but i love it. Other favourites include orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, ice water, hot tea w/ milk (no sugar for me).

This is a drastic change from the things i used to drink - i used to drink coke/pepsi/dr pepper all the time. If you try to drink the healthier stuff that i drink you'll find not only do you feel better (sleep better, have better teeth, better skin[worked for me anyway] etc) but your shopping bills should come down slightly too. Win-win situation

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jason87

It depends on the quantity of alcohol consumed. but i think pop is better for you

Ultimate_Gohan

I can see the other side of the coin to I lost on of my grandfathers to alcohalism. He died in his late 50's. I also lost someone to diabetes who wouldn't give up his favorite soda.
He died in his 20's. Yes to much of any one of these is bad but I just thought that passing away well before your time to experience life is cut short by a drink that kids can buy is tragic.

spectre

In diabetics, beer can cause or hide hypoglycemia. So it's not much better.

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Cowman

Look, theres no question here, both are bad for you, but alcohol is much worse. Just alcohol wrecks your insides, and will help your body store fat and prevent maximum muscle building. Certain alcohols, IE some beers, will also have a lot of sugars. Pop will rot your teeth and contribute to diabetes if you drink too much and don't have a high tolerance for sugar.

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