Can soda with fiber fight fat?

Does adding dietary fiber to soda make it healthier than regular soda? Not necessarily, according to two nutrition experts at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

Walter Willett and Lilian Cheung commented in a November 15, 2012 Time.com article about a new soda called “Pepsi Special” that contains the added dietary fiber dextrin, which is found in fiber supplements. The soda is being distributed by Pepsi’s partner in Japan with claims that the drink suppresses fat absorption and can inhibit the rise of triglycerides following a meal.

“Unless Pepsi can provide data from controlled studies in humans to the contrary, their claim should be regarded as bogus and deceptive,” Willett, Fredrick John Stare Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and chair of the Department of Nutrition at HSPH, told Time.com.

The dextrin in the drink could make people sick, added Cheung, lecturer in the Department of Nutrition and editorial director of HSPH’s The Nutrition Source website.

Read the Time.com article

Learn more

Sodas and Other Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Linked to Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome (HSPH press release)

Sugary Drinks and Obesity Fact Sheet (The Nutrition Source)

Time to Focus on Healthier Drinks (The Nutrition Source)