We all know fizzy drinks are not exactly a wellness staple, but a new estimate puts that vague warning into a surprisingly specific number. Researchers at the University of Michigan suggest that every time you drink a sugar sweetened carbonated beverage, you lose about 12 minutes of healthy life. That does not mean your lifespan is cut by 12 minutes on the spot. It is an estimate of how much time you might lose living in good health, rather than time lived overall.
The team looked at 5,853 foods and drinks commonly found in the American diet and tried to measure their marginal impact on health. They built their calculations around 15 dietary risk factors, including things like salt, sugar, and certain fats, and paired that with environmental indicators. The point was not to shame individual choices, but to make trade offs easier to visualize. In their model, some everyday items come with a bigger hidden cost than many people expect.
In the list of biggest offenders, the hot dog stood out as the most recognizable villain. One serving was estimated to take away 36 minutes of healthy life. On the brighter side, several familiar foods moved the number in the opposite direction. A small portion of nuts and seeds, around 30 grams, was estimated to add 25 minutes, while a banana added about 13 and a half minutes and baked salmon added 16 minutes.
When it comes to soda, the issue is largely sugar. The Cancer Council notes that a 600 milliliter bottle of regular soft drink can contain about 16 sachets of sugar, a level that adds up quickly if it becomes a daily habit. Sugar itself is not presented as directly tied to cancer risk in this context, but weight gain and obesity are. Excess weight is widely considered a risk factor for cancers such as bowel, breast, and pancreatic cancer, which is one reason experts often single out sugary drinks as an easy place to cut back.
Importantly, the researchers did not frame the findings as a mandate to banish every treat forever. Their argument is that small, realistic swaps can matter. They estimate that replacing just 10 percent of daily calories from beef and processed meat with a mix of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and selected fish could add 48 minutes of healthy life per day. They also acknowledged limitations, including the fact that the model does not always distinguish clearly within a food category, and that no one can simply stack endless healthy minutes by eating more fruit.
Do you find it motivating or annoying when health advice gets turned into numbers like minutes gained or lost? Share your thoughts in the comments.
