Consuming sugar with a protein-rich meal negatively affects metabolism

[Arnold Strong]

We found that drinking a sugar-sweetened drink with a meal significantly decreases fat use and diet-induced thermogenesis (heat production). And when we paired the sugar-sweetened drink with a protein-rich meal, the combination further decreased fat use and diet-induced thermogenesis by more than 40%. Additionally, we found that, over the course of a day, the body only expended 80 of the 120 kcals that was provided by the sugar-sweetened drink, thus creating a 40-kcal surplus independent of how much protein was in the meal.

These results highlight the impact that consuming a sugar-sweetened drink can have on energy balance and fat use. One implication of the results is that the body’s reduced metabolic efficiency after drinking a sugar-sweetened beverage can lead to a greater tendency to make and store fat.

https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcseriesblog/2017/07/21/sugar-sweetened-drinks-and-your-metabolism/

Appetite sensations, food preferences, energy expenditure and substrate oxidation are significantly altered in response to changes in meal macronutrient composition produced by modifications in the protein content of a meal and consumption of a SSB [sugar-sweetened beverage]. Most notably, consumption of a SSB during a meal markedly reduces energy efficiency and fat oxidation independent of macronutrient composition.

Postprandial energy metabolism and substrate oxidation in response to the inclusion of a sugar- or non-nutritive sweetened beverage with meals differing in protein content