Sodas, lattes, energy drinks… These everyday essentials become sneaky with age. The reason: their richness in added sugars, caffeine and sometimes fats or sodium. Result: concrete consequences on the heart, bones, sleep or even the brain. Two specialists decipher the dangers of these “false friends” in the morning and afternoon.
Why some drinks become toxic after 60
After the age of 60, the body becomes less tolerant of excesses and exciting or inflammatory substances. “As we age, the body becomes more vulnerable to diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems and osteoporosis.“, warns Dr. Rimas Geiga, nutrition specialist, interviewed by the American media SheFinds.
These age-related pathologies can be accelerated by the regular consumption of certain drinks. However, they are rarely taken into account in dietary advice. “Drinks, often forgotten when we talk about food, play a particularly important role in the aging process“, she adds.
In the dock: sugary drinks and caffeinated drinks. Two types of very common drinks, but particularly harmful after the age of 60.
These two drinks singled out by experts
First to ban: the sweet drink, whether carbonated, still or presented as “natural”. Sodas, industrial fruit juices, flavored milk drinks, iced tea or “healthy smoothies” often contain added sugars, milk or cream, saturated fats and many additives. Their consumption is associated with a series of chronic disorders:
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Sleep disorders, sometimes linked to cognitive decline or a drop in immune defenses;
- Cardiovascular disorders;
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Hepatic steatosis, or non-alcoholic fatty liver;
- Fat gain and obesity;
- Cancers;
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Caries;
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Dental erosion;
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Dehydration.
Second type to avoid: drinks rich in caffeine, especially caffeinated sodas, energy drinks, or coffees laced with sugar and milk. According to Dr. Geiga, “high caffeine consumption may interfere with the absorption of calcium, essential for maintaining strong bones“. A phenomenon which directly promotes osteoporosis.
The caffeine + sugar cocktail, present in certain famous sodas, constitutes a double threat: “These are two powerful diuretics that promote dehydration“, he emphasizes.
Concrete advice from nutritionist Alexandra Murcier
For Alexandra Murcier, dietician-nutritionist, the observation is clear: “Sodas and energy drinks should be avoided because sugar has a pro-inflammatory role which will exacerbate the appearance of inflammatory pathologies (already naturally present after the age of 60) such as osteoarthritis.“.
She also specifies that, in seniors, the basic metabolism slows down, which promotes fat storage. “It is therefore essential to reduce your sugar consumption to reduce the risk of developing diabetes or obesity.“, she insists.
Caffeine doesn’t escape his radar either: “Due to their composition being too rich in sugar and caffeine, these drinks should be avoided at all ages. On the other hand, coffee, in moderate doses, has a scientifically proven benefit in reducing cardiovascular risk and Parkinson’s disease.“, she nuances.
Faced with these observations, what drink should you adopt once you reach sixty? “We can encourage the consumption of green tea, which thanks to its richness in antioxidants limits cellular aging, but always compensating with water, because tea and coffee are diuretic drinks that dehydrate us.“, concludes the specialist.