# Is Pepsi worse for your health than coffee? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667 "2002-04-03T22:23:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/1 "2002-04-03T22:23:36Z")
I drink an ice cold Pepsi for breakfast. I get scolded by family, friends and colleagues for being so “unhealthy”. Meanwhile, most of them drink hot coffee in the morning. Is coffee really healthier to drink than Pepsi? If so, in what way(s)? ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/2 "2002-04-03T22:27:43Z")
Well, Pepsi is just sugar, caffeine, caramel and phosphoric acid (which is really bad for your teeth btw). Coffee has trace minerals in it, including iron. On the whole, neither’s that good for you, as coffe tends to dehydrate you. However coffee is better for your teeth, and has less sugar. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/3 "2002-04-03T22:35:54Z")
I would say it depends more on what you eat and drink the rest of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/4 "2002-04-03T22:38:42Z")
Jill that is true. Everything in moderation. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/5 "2002-04-03T22:40:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jackknifed Juggernaut \* > \*\*I drink an ice cold Pepsi for breakfast. I get scolded by family, friends and colleagues for being so “unhealthy”. Meanwhile, most of them drink hot coffee in the morning. Is coffee really healthier to drink than Pepsi? If so, in what way(s)? \*\* Well if you listen to the gospel as preached by Dr Atkins, he pracically blames soft drink manufacturers for diabetes. ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/6 "2002-04-03T22:43:29Z")
Most diabetes victims are overweight, which indicates it’s not just soft drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/7 "2002-04-04T00:14:14Z")
Non-diet soft drinks are merely flavored liquid sugar. Generally empty calories. Avoid when possible, except for special occasions. As a regular part of someone’s diet, it does little good, and has significant potential for long-term weight problems. QtM ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/8 "2002-04-04T00:44:19Z")
I would offer a dissenting opinion and say that the [**extra caffeine**](http://www.cs.unb.ca/~alopez-o/Coffee/caffaq.html) in the coffee (probably two or three times what’s in your Pepsi) is worse for you than the sugar. Especially if they put sugar in their coffee as well. ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/9 "2002-04-04T01:04:48Z")
Consider the main ingredients: Caffeine - a diuretic (makes you pee), so both Pepsi and Coffee will dehydrate you. Coffee rather more than Pepsi, I guess, if it has more caffeine. If you drink plain water during the day, no problem. (If you don’t drink plain water , but just juice, soda, coffee, you’re running a risk of kidney stones.) Sugar - very bad for you. Coffee with no sugar is therefore preferable to non-diet Pepsi As mentioned above, Pepsi has phosphoric acid - also bad for you, unless you’re a dentist. On balance, I would say sugar-less coffee is significantly less unhealthy. BUT if you just have 1 of either a day, it shouldn’t be a major problem, assuming you eat and drink well the rest of the time. (I mean, you do have some food for breakfast, as well right? Hopefully not something full of sugar and fat.) ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/10 "2002-04-04T05:03:27Z")
Hmmm…k. My cousin and I would be ideal test subjects for this study–I go through a minimum of three 12-cup pots of coffee a day, and he is almost never seen without a Dr. Pepper in his hand. We’re both in our mid-30’s, and (so far) we are both free from any serious health-problems. -David ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/11 "2002-04-04T06:13:29Z")
Hopefully, **Qadgop** will weigh back in here and correct me for this, but:[ul][li]No-one can categorically say that caffeine dehydrates people. The American College of Nutrition, for instance, posts a [short description of a preliminary study](http://www.am-coll-nutr.org/jacn/vol_19/no_5/pg591.htm) in which they conclude:[/li][quote] This preliminary study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males. Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study. [/quote] [li]Caffeinated beverages are also thought to have some positive affect on a person’s ability to concentrate, and caffeine is a common ingredient in analgesics.I suspect that the major objection people have to Pepsi vs. coffee is simply the number of calories (as QtM points out). According to [Pepsi](http://www.pepsiworld.com/current/help/faq/index_2.html), 8 oz contains 100 Kcalories.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/12 "2002-04-04T06:35:41Z")
Hey folks, stop the sugar bashing!!! Sugar in and of itself is not “bad for you”!!! I’m tired of poor little sugar getting all the guff! Unless you have rotten teeth, there is no reason not to eat sugar! Besides, what the heck do you think an orange is? Even overweight people are not likely getting all their excess calories solely from sugar, more likely from fat since it packs a more powerful calorie punch anyway. And as far as “empty calories” goes, any processed and highly refined carbohydrate fits that class, including your coffee creamer and your “minute” rice! So there. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/13 "2002-04-04T08:13:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lorinada \* > **And as far as “empty calories” goes, any processed and highly refined carbohydrate fits that class, including your coffee creamer and your “minute” rice!** Anyone who puts anything in coffee gets what they deserve, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/14 "2002-04-04T13:40:24Z")
It’s not whether you drink Pepsi for breakfast that matters. It’s what you consume in your entire typical daily diet that matters. At the most extreme end of the scale, hard core nutritionists would say to avoid emoty calories or calories that contain caffeinne and refined sugar w/ no nutrient benefit. A moderate approach would be to view your entire meal plan for the day. Pepsi could very well fit in. Coffee could fit in. Coffe might actually fit in better if you consume refined sugars through the rest of the day, like from candy bars and other soft drinks. If that’s the case, then coffee would be “better” for you than Pepsi. That morning Pepsi is just one more sugar source you don’t need. Pespi: Asorbic acid? Not an issue. Not for the teeth, not for your bones, etc. Much of the asorbic acid craze is born out of internet babble. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/15 "2002-04-04T14:59:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hemlock \* > \*\*(I mean, you do have some food for breakfast, as well right? Hopefully not something full of sugar and fat.) \*\* Actually, since I was about 18 (I’m 32 now), I’ve woken up, brushed my teeth and had a can of Pepsi. That was it until lunch. Just recently, I started eating a small box of raisin bran (dry) while at work in the morning. And I do drink a reasonable amount of water in the morning. But what disturbs me about my diet is the response that 1 Pepsi a day isn’t really that bad for you. I actually drink a Pepsi with lunch and another with dinner, making 3 per day. Of course I really don’t eat any other sweets. No desserts, no candy, etc. So if its only the sugar in Pepsi that I have to worry about, then I make up for it in other ways. But it seems that I also need to be careful about the acid in it and its effect on my teeth. BTW, my teeth are in good shape and my body is in good shape, so far. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2002, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/16 "2002-04-04T18:23:06Z")
JJ, the “acid” in Pepsi is a joke compared the sugar. The acid is not an issue. Did you read one of those goofy internet mails that explains how a tooth will disolve in a glass of Coke overnight? Bogus. Asorbic acid is soda is minute - It’s a non-issue. The “soda is bad for your bones” crusade needs to be more specific: If you are replacing healthy drinks (like milk or fortified OJ) with soda, you are losing out on some calcium…in this sense, then the soda is bad. At three per day, you are probably not helping your cause. One per day is more moderate…more acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/17 "2002-04-05T07:58:28Z")
So what about a Diet Pepsi (or Diet Coke) instead? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/18 "2002-04-05T13:16:40Z")
Diet? Well, you still would want to limit caffeine to one - maybe two - drinks per day. ---
**Author:** ![Racer1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@Racer1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Racer1)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/19 "2002-04-05T14:02:56Z")
What about diet, caffeine free cola? 😉 Seriously though, should we really be limiting our caffeine intake to two drinks a day? That would only allow us one coke and one coffee, which sucks for me because they’re the only two drinks we get free at work! (Along with water) Ignoring dehydration, is too much caffeine a big health issue? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pepsi-worse-for-your-health-than-coffee/101667/20 "2002-04-05T15:17:15Z")
Racer1…the classic “it depends” answer: Some folks get used to caffeine to the point that it doesn’t even wake them up, and it loses it diuretic effect. So, if they don’t replace nutrition with caffeinated beverages, then they should be ok. If your heart doesn’t race and you are in general good health, it can be part of a moderate approach to eating and nutrition. Most people can judge whether they should intake the caffeine or not. Some shouldn’t decide - like pregnant women - guess they can play it safe. Overall, what nutritionists find though is that soda often replaces what should be nutritious intake. And since most people are god-awful at eating nutritious food everyday, it might be best to get off caffeine and soda, and start using that thirst to add something good to the body. Empty calories are coming under assault…along with empty nutrition…and aging can be slowed by not wasting intake on empty stuff: [http://www.pbs.org/saf/1110/segments/1110-4.htm](http://www.pbs.org/saf/1110/segments/1110-4.htm)