We’ve posted in the past on how diet beverages have been shown in research to actually increase belly fat and complications for diabetes. Now there’s new research that suggests that drinking diet soda can be linked to these effects and also to weight gain.

As more and more consumers move away from sugary soft drinks, they turn to diet drinks thinking that artificially-sweetened beverages would help them lead healthier lives by controlling their weight and reducing their risk for diabetes and heart disease. The latest research is showing that this assumption does not appear to be the case.

Meghan Azad, a researcher at the University of Manitoba, reviewed dozens of studies about the long-term health effects of sugar substitutes, trying to see whether there was a prevailing trend on the health effects of diet beverages. He found that not only were artificial sweeteners suspect when it came to weight management, but people who drank them routinely had an increased body mass index and risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

His studies of the available research concluded that “non-nutritive” (artificial) sweeteners (are) significantly associated with modest long-term increases in body weight, BMI and waist circumference.”

Belly fat, or visceral fat, has been linked to a greater chance of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. High waist circumference is also one component of metabolic syndrome, a constellation of health risk factors that also includes high triglycerides, blood pressure and blood glucose.

Researchers have not yet agreed on why diet beverages cause these effects but one thing is clear. Syfo, made from purified water and naturally flavored with no sugar, artificial sweeteners, sodium, preservatives or other additives, is the sensible, tasty and healthy choice.

You can read more about Azad’s research in this Washington Post article.

If you love cats, you won’t want to miss this. Syfo is proud to sponsor this year’s charity gala supporting the Cat Network, with featured guest John Fulton of Animal Planet’s Must Love Cats. The event will be held on Saturday, November 11, 2017, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the University of Miami’s elegant Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center, 6200 San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, Florida 33146.

The gala is a fun way to support a worthy cause. It will help raise money and awareness for the Cat Network’s efforts to reduce cat over-population through educating the public about the need to sterilize their pets and community cats. The Network also provides access to low-cost spay/neuter services for stray, homeless and abandoned cats; helps members in their efforts to place adoptable cats in loving homes; and advocates non-lethal population control and humane public policy.

So join us on November 11. There will be wine, hors d’oeuvres, cuisine, music, a silent auction, raffles and of course plenty of Syfo Naturally Flavored Sparkling Waters on hand. Admission to the event will be $75.00. To make a reservation, please e-mail info@thecatnetwork.org.

Millennials are poised to become the most dominant demographic in the country and experts and recent data suggest that they are driving the rapid rise of  bottled water sales.

According to the latest research from Beverage Market Corp., in 2016, the bottled water  category (including sparkling water) overtook soda sales for the first time capping a remarkable decade-long period of rapid growth. And it appears that millennials are one of the driving forces away from soda to healthier alternatives. This trend is likely to strengthen as millennials take more prominent roles both as  consumers and decision-makers in the beverage industry.

The change can be seen throughout all delivery channels, from national and regional grocery chains, to outlets like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s that cater to health-conscious consumers, and right down to the micro and vending markets. Elyssa Steiner, director of marketing for Cantaloupe Systems underscores this point in a recent article in Vending Times: “I’m a millennial and I don’t drink soda; I primarily drink water and I’m surrounded by people in my age group who drink huge amounts of low-calorie or no-calorie sparkling waters…”

We’ve seen this trend right here at Syfo as more and more millennials are discovering our delicious natural flavors and enjoying our sparkling waters with creative beverage recipes that they share.

Can’t find Syfo in your market area? Click here to request that your favorite store carry Syfo, or visit our online store. Are you a grocer who would like to carry Syfo? Email us at customerservice@syfobeverages.com.

It’s been known for a long time that the “rush” or “high” produced by sugar can lead to addictive behavior. But now a new study indicates that sugar can cause a person to crave a particular brand that produced the high.

Think of it as sugar-induced brand loyalty. In a study recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers investigated whether daily consumption of a branded sugary beverage would change brain activity in certain ways. They wanted to see if exposure to the product logo itself would create a craving for the drink and whether daily consumption would foster an ongoing positive view of the brand.

What they found was that daily consumption of the branded sweetened beverage made the participants desire the product while reacting more quickly and positively to the brand logo compared to a baseline of people who did not drink the beverage every day. And this reaction was consistent regardless of the flavor of the beverage.

Of course, Syfonatics are also loyal to the brand and crave Syfo, but that’s because it’s delicious and purely refreshing with no sugar, sodium, artificial sweeteners, preservatives or other additives. You could call it more of a natural high.

You can read more about the study here.

In California, a complaint filed in a California federal court charges that The Coca-Cola Company, with the help of the American Beverage Association, is deceiving consumers about the harms of consuming Coke and other sugar-sweetened beverages.  The suit charges that the beverage giant and its trade association are engaged in an unlawful campaign of deception to mislead and confuse the public about the science linking consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of the nonprofit Praxis Project, centers around the claim that Coca-Cola and the ABA mislead consumers by claiming that there is no science linking sugar-sweetened beverages to obesity and related diseases.  According to the suit, Coke and the ABA have adopted a strategy of shifting the focus away for these conditions from sugar-sweetened beverages toward a lack of exercise.  The campaign strategy also led consumers to believe that all calories are the same, when science indicates that sugary drinks play a distinct role in the obesity epidemic.

The complaint alleges that Coke launched a sophisticated integrated marketing plan by funding and publicizing biased scientific research,  orchestrating a drumbeat of deceptive ABA press releases on science and health, and running false and misleading advertising campaigns.  Citing a report in the New York Times, the suit contends that between 2010 and 2015 alone, Coca-Cola spent $120 million on research and other projects aimed at confusing consumers about, or denying, the science linking health risks to soda and other sugary drinks.

At Syfo we know better. Our testimonial section is filled with stories of people who have shed weight and lived healthier lives by giving up sugary drinks and switching to delicious Syfo Naturally Flavored Sparkling Waters. Our products contain no sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, sodium or any other additives. Just pure healthy refreshment that can change your life.

You can read more about the lawsuit filed against Coke and the ABA here.