While they’ve historically been blamed for bloating and obesity, fizzy drinks are now undergoing a makeover in the name of gut health.
In recent years, what goes on in our intestines has become the health frontier that everyone is wanting to conquer – and unsurprisingly, countless foods, drinks, and supplements have emerged to cater to this developing (and lucrative) market.
The latest are ‘gut health sodas’ which usually contain prebiotics, non-digestible plant fibres that can be found in an array of foods such as onions, garlic, chicory root, green bananas and oats.
Prebiotics effectively help to feed the gut microbiome, a billion-strong bacteria and fungi army that assists with digestion and nutrient absorption, making it diverse, resilient and effective. Recent studies have linked a strong and vibrant microbiome with reduced bowel cancer and dementia risk and even better joint health.
But how genuinely helpful are these sodas when it comes to gut health?
‘I think that some of them are good and offer a really good alternative to Coca-Cola, for example,’ Sophie Medlin, Consultant Dietician at CityDietitians, tells the Daily Mail.
‘But a lot of them contain ingredients that we know are less good for us… when it comes to “healthy” drinks, the best option is always just water, unfortunately.’
With this – and water’s glowing five star rating – in mind, we asked Ms Medlin to assess some of the buzziest and most up-and-coming gut health sodas around and rank them for healthiness.
Remedy
- Price: £1.95
- Flavour: Passionfruit
Nutritional information (per 250ml can):
- Calories: 8
- Sugar: 0g
- Fibre: Less than 1g
They say: Remedy was created with the aim to make tasty drinks that are good for you. All of their drinks are natural, contain no sugar, and are bursting with live cultures.
Ms Medlin says: ‘Ultimately, this is just a healthier soda rather than a gut-specific one.
‘You might consider having one in place of a Coke or a Diet Coke because it will confer some additional health benefits.
‘It contains apple cider vinegar which you need to be careful of with your teeth.
‘I don’t see any additional fibre or probiotic benefits, but on the plus side, it’s unlikely to give you any side effects like inulin-related bloating.’
Expert’s rating: 2/5
Fibe
- Flavour: Fruit Punch
- Price: £1.99
Nutritional information (per 250ml can):
- Calories: 30
- Sugar: 3.75g
- Fibre: 5g
They say: Tasty sodas without the preservatives and ‘unpronounceable’ ingredients of traditional sodas, with some additional health benefits thrown in – including gut health benefits and Vitamin C.
Ms Medlin says:
‘My concern with this drink is that the ingredients are likely to cause bloating, and also the fact that it contains sweeteners.
‘The fibre comes from inulin and the sweetener is stevia, a natural sugar “alternative” which a few of these drinks have.
‘The problem with stevia is that we know our gut doesn’t like sweeteners, but we haven’t got to a place yet where we’re able to say that stevia is definitely better for the gut than others.
‘So as much as it’s natural and probably the least harmful and risky of all the sorts of sweeteners, we still don’t have an exact answer on how much it can impact our gut bacteria.
‘The drink also contains Vitamin C which is an antioxidant, so there’s some benefit there – but most people already get enough from their diet.’
Expert’s rating: 2.5/5
Poppi
- Flavour: Strawberry Lemon
- Price: £2.99
Nutritional information (per 330ml can):
- Calories: 30
- Sugar: 5g
- Fibre: 3g
They say: Aiming to provide high-flavour drinks without the ‘baggage’, poppi claims to be the future of soda with low sugar, simple ingredients, and prebiotics.
Ms Medlin says: ‘In the US Poppi sodas are branded as prebiotic, but they’re not allowed to market themselves in the same way here.
‘This drink contains inulin and cassava root fibre – which, in the UK, people are less likely to be eating – which means it does contain some sort of fibre that perhaps you’re not getting elsewhere in your diet.
‘Ultimately, though, due to the potential side effects of inulin and the addition of stevia, it’s not one of the drinks that I’d rate the highest for gut health.’
Expert’s rating: 2.5/5
XOXO
- Flavour: Sparkling Lemonade
- Price: £1.89
Nutritional information (per 330ml can):
- Calories: 46.2
- Sugar: 8.25g
- Fibre: 5.94g
They say: XOXO is a prebiotic soda with 6g of plant-based fibre, real fruit ingredients, zero artificial anything. The fibre comes from three different sources [tapioca dextrin, jerusalem artichoke, acacia gum] working together to feed the good bacteria in your stomach, and help your gut health.
Ms Medlin says: ‘This is the only drink we’ve looked at that has this type of prebiotic fibre mix – using fibre from three different plant sources.
‘This is quite useful in terms of getting a good variety, or different varieties of fibre that you might not normally consume.
‘One of the sources of fibre is artichoke which could cause some side effects – and people on blood thinners such as warfarin need to be mindful of their intake as it contains vitamin K.
‘It’s nice to see natural flavourings used although apple juice concentrate is sugar and stevia still may not be ideal.’
Expert’s rating: 2.5/5
Ió Water
- Flavour: Lemon & Lime
- Price: £1.99
Nutritional information (per 500ml bottle):
- Calories: 21
- Sugar: 0.6g
- Fibre: 6g
They say: After suffering from poor sleep, mood swings, IBS, digestive issues, and weight, the founders of Ió water discovered the benefits of prebiotic fibre; specifically chicory root. Since then, the brand has won awards for their product, and been shown to improve healthy gut bacteria in a study by Glasgow Caledonian University.
Ms Medlin says: ‘Ió water is also unusual because it has corn fibre in it. This can be beneficial if you’re not eating corn regularly as it introduces a new sort of “food” to the gut microbiome.
‘It also contains inulin from chicory root which is good for gut health and it does feed beneficial bacteria.
‘The only downside is that inulin often causes IBS-like symptoms in a lot of people.
‘Furthermore, a lot of people with IBS will want to try these drinks, but if they saw a dietician they would probably advise to be careful with inulin because we know that it can cause symptoms.
‘That’s not to say don’t drink it or don’t try it, but be mindful that some people will be sensitive to inulin, which is going to be the message for a lot of these drinks, I suspect.’
Expert’s rating: 2.5/5
YAAS
- Flavour: Citrus Twister
- Price: £1.89
Nutritional information (per 330ml can):
- Calories: 59.4
- Sugar: 10.89g
- Fibre: 6.6g
They say: Big fizz, big flavour, with each can packed full of prebiotic fibre without sweeteners or additives.
Ms Medlin says: ‘I believe that many people turn to functional sodas because they’re worried about having too much sugar – but it’s something you still need to be mindful of.
‘Not all functional sodas are sugar-free or low sugar, and if that’s something you’re looking for in a healthier drink, then you might want to be more aware of that and take that into account when your purchasing.
‘Of the sodas here, Yass has the highest amount of sugar. And like a few others here, it also contains inulin which can cause digestive discomfort, plus apple cider vinegar which can be damaging to teeth.’
Expert’s rating: 2.5/5
Living Things
- Flavour: Sparkling Lemon and Ginger
- Price: £2.50
Nutritional information (per 330ml can):
- Calories: 49.5
- Sugar: 5.61g
- Fibre: 6.6g
They say: They’re an all-natural prebiotic soda with ‘belly-loving benefits’ that’s high in fibre and contains two billion live cultures.
Ms Medlin says: ‘It’s difficult to gauge the benefit of the live cultures because at the point of manufacture, it probably does have two billion live bacteria.
‘But how much is living at the point where you consume it, having sat on the shelf for a while and had things done to it to make sure that it doesn’t go off, or blow up, I’m not sure.
‘The ginger in this drink is helpful as it’s good for your gut. It supports gastric emptying and is potentially anti-inflammatory, but like everything else it’s not magic.
‘Essentially, the inulin in this drink might cause side effects, but there are probiotics and the sugar comes from grape juice instead of sweeteners.’
Expert’s rating: 3/5
Nexba
- Strawberry & Peach Water Kefir
- £1.95
Nutritional information (per 330ml can):
- Calories: 6.6
- Sugar: 0g
- Fibre: None listed
They say: Nexba aims to create tasty, gut-healthy drinks that are free from sugar and artificial ingredients.
Ms Medlin says: ‘Unlike the other drinks that mainly get their gut health claim from inulin, this drink provides gut health benefits by way of water kefir.
‘A fermented, probiotic drink, water kefir is a dairy-free and lower-sugar alternative to kombucha.
‘It’s the only drink we’ve looked at that features water kefir in it, which is good – but again how much of it’s alive after packaging and sitting around is really the issue.
‘Overall, it’s unlikely to cause bloating but it still has sweeteners. It’s also nice to see the live bacteria as an ingredient but whether they’re alive at the point of consumption is the key question.’
Expert’s rating: 3.5/5
Hip pop
- Flavour: Pink Grapefruit
- Price: £1.95
Nutritional information (per 330ml can):
- Calories: 59.4
- Sugar: 7.26g
- Fibre: 7.92g
They say: They’re on a mission to provide naturally refreshing, gut- friendly alternatives to artificial, sugar-laden fizz to help people escape their sweetness addictions and live healthier lives.
Ms Medlin says: ‘Looking at the ingredients, there’s no sweetener, which is great.
‘It does contain apple cider vinegar, which I don’t think does anyone any massive favours, but I don’t think it’s doing any harm – other than the fact that you have to be careful of your tooth enamel.
‘It also contains live bacteria which is potentially helpful. The question around it is, how much of it gets to the gut alive – but you’ve got a microbiome in your mouth, and you’ve got a microbiome in your oesophagus, so having some additional beneficial bacteria is never a bad thing.
‘Overall, Hip Pop is one that I do recommend to patients who are keen to get off artificially sweetened drinks or Coke but not to those with bowel problems like IBS.
‘I think that it’s well formulated and it’s got less sweetener than other brands, so I’m a fan.’
Expert’s rating: 4/5
