Scientists Reveal Exactly How Much Drinking A Cola Could Cut From Your Life Span

For many people, there’s nothing quite as refreshing as opening a can of soda on a hot afternoon. But new research looking at how certain foods and drinks affect health may have you pausing before you reach for that fizzy drink again.

The study, led by researchers Katerina Stylianou and Olivier Jolliet, examined a wide range of everyday foods, breaking down their nutritional makeup to measure both the positive and negative effects that come with eating them.

From their research, they created what they call a ‘Health Nutritional Index’. This index is designed to show in clear numbers how many minutes of healthy life could be gained or lost with each serving of a specific food item.

Writing in an article for The Conversation, Stylianou and Jolliet explained that their index is built upon data from a massive epidemiological project known as the Global Burden of Disease. This study looks at how environmental, metabolic, and behavioral factors—including 15 different dietary risks—impact overall health outcomes.

The team then took this large-scale data and adjusted it to focus on individual foods. To make it precise, they factored in more than 6,000 risk estimates tied to different ages, genders, medical conditions, and lifestyle-related risks.

The researchers weighed the benefits of impacts of different food servings Getty Stock Photo

What food can add minutes to your life?

Of course, moderation is always important, but the research showed that some foods can noticeably boost life expectancy.

For example, eating 30 grams of nuts and seeds could add an estimated 25 minutes of healthy, disease-free life, according to the findings.

What food and drinks can shorten your life?

On the other hand, the study suggested that not all foods and drinks treat your health kindly. Just a single serving of soda, such as a can of cola, was linked to cutting down healthy life expectancy by about 12 minutes. And let’s be honest, many people don’t stop at one can once they’ve started.

Processed meats like hot dogs were flagged as even worse, with one serving potentially reducing good-quality, disease-free life by around 36 minutes. These kinds of losses, when repeated over time, can really add up.

The index reveals the impact on healthy life span and the environment University of Michigan

What changes can you make to help improve your healthy life span?

Making major dietary changes overnight can feel overwhelming, but the study showed that even small swaps can add up to big improvements.

Replacing just 10 percent of your daily calories from beef and processed meats with healthier options like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, or seafood could increase healthy life expectancy by an average of 48 minutes per day.

What have experts said about the findings?

After presenting the results, Jolliet stressed that the need for people to adjust their diets is urgent. He pointed out that these shifts not only boost human health but also benefit the environment, making the case for change even stronger.

Speaking through the University of Michigan, Jolliet added: "Our findings demonstrate that small targeted substitutions offer a feasible and powerful strategy to achieve significant health and environmental benefits without requiring dramatic dietary shifts."