President Donald Trump recently announced that Coca-Cola has agreed to switch from high-fructose corn syrup to cane sugar in its regular Coke sold in the U.S. This announcement, made by Trump on social media, was met with his assertion that it would be a "very good move" and that it's "just better!" However, the Associated Press reported that Coca-Cola has yet to officially confirm this potential change. The news has sparked a discussion among health experts regarding the actual health implications of such a switch.

Currently, American Coke is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, a liquid sweetener derived from cornstarch. This ingredient is classified as a refined sugar, meaning it originates from natural sources but undergoes processing that removes other nutrients, leaving behind pure sugar. Historically, Coca-Cola was made with cane sugar, but the company transitioned to the more economical high-fructose corn syrup in the early 1980s. Interestingly, many other regions globally, including the version of Coke sold in classic glass bottles as "Mexican Coke" in the U.S., still utilize cane sugar.

Despite the perception that cane sugar might be healthier due to its "natural" origin, nutrition experts largely agree that Coke sweetened with cane sugar offers no significant health advantage over its high-fructose corn syrup counterpart. Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, CEO of the NY Nutrition Group, explained that while cane sugar may seem healthier on the surface, this "halo effect stops there." Both sweeteners are refined sugars with similar molecular compositions, each containing an approximate 50/50 split of the simple sugars fructose and glucose, and are metabolized identically by the human body. Caroline Susie, RDN, LD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, emphasized that our bodies do not differentiate between cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup; they simply recognize it as sugar that needs to be broken down.

Nutritionists caution that consuming excessive amounts of any refined sugar, whether cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, can elevate the risk of various health issues, including weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease. As Susie succinctly put it, "At the end of the day, it's added sugar," and "Those added sugars really do add up."

Given these findings, experts generally advise against regular soda consumption, regardless of the type of sugar used. Moskovitz noted that soda, irrespective of its sweetener, remains an "empty-calorie, blood glucose-spiking beverage." While diet soda, which contains no sugar or calories, might appear to be a slightly better alternative, experts still do not endorse it as a healthy regular beverage. Susie highlighted that neither regular nor diet soda provides any nutritional value. For optimal hydration, water is considered the gold standard, with unsweetened tea and sparkling water also recommended. For those craving a soda-like experience, Moskovitz suggests seltzer infused with a splash of juice or flavored with fresh fruits such as berries, oranges, or limes.