What happens when a healthy man goes on a diet that includes an insane amount of sugary soda?
That's exactly what George Prior decided to find out when he committed to drinking 10 cans of Coke every day for a full month.
As a result, Prior, who was once fit, gained 23 pounds in that month and drastically raised his blood pressure.
Why would anyone do that, though? Prior wanted to show the world the dangers of a diet that includes so much sugar. And although his Coke diet sounds extreme, Prior's average sugar intake for any given day was about the same as 50 percent of all Americans.
Of course, most people don't drink 10 Cokes a day, but some do drink as much as four or five. However, after adding in other sweet drinks, such as coffee and juices, the equivalent of sugar intake is about the same as drinking 10 Cokes.
Yes, that's right. About half of the American population is ingesting almost a half-pound of sugar every day.
Prior's experiment proved what we think would be obvious: that a lot of sugar negatively affects health. Not only did Prior gain 23 pounds in just 30 days, but he also started craving the sugary beverage. He also found it hard to eat healthy meals with meat and berries because the soda kept him filled up.
"The actual drinking of the ten Cokes got to be an irritating chore every day," says Prior. "There were a lot of visits to the restroom, a feeling of constant fullness, and a clutter of cans everywhere."
Prior's blood pressure also skyrocketed from his normal 129/77 at the beginning of his experiment to 145/96 at the end of the month.
Fortunately, the 30 days is over now and Prior is back on his normal paleo diet. Just after three days of not drinking sodas, he has already lost five pounds. He also reports having a higher energy level and an overall better feeling of wellness.
"I think there are a lot of people suffering health problems like diabetes and heart disease, who aren't aware they could help themselves by just stopping sugar," says Prior. "I'd like to see controls on the lobbying and spending of big corporations who sell sugar and don't want the government to tell people how bad it is."
