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Buffett’s longevity despite drinking Coke for many years has attracted attention; Doctors insist that this is survival bias, and that the sugar content of 5 cans of Coke a day far exceeds the recommended upper limit and should not be copied.
96-year-old “Stock God”buffet Shocking eating habits have once again become a topic of discussion. Buffett claims to drink 5 cans of Coke a day. Friends even told that he has not touched boiled water for 48 years. However, most people fear that drinking too many sugary drinks will increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and even obesity.cardiovascular disease Despite the risks, Buffett has used Coke as a daily beverage for many years. He also jokingly said, “A quarter of my body is made up ofcoca cola . “But some people question whether drinking Coke every day really has any effect on your health?
Chinese medical doctor Zhou Zonghan reminds you that drinking Coke should not be considered Buffett’s longevity as proof of his health. From a medical point of view, this involves a specific “survivor bias”, that is, when you see a successful case of drinking Coke until the age of 96, you ignore other people who have consumed large amounts of sugary drinks for a long time and developed metabolic diseases early. Longevity is the result of the combined action of many factors. One’s eating habits cannot overturn the health evidence that medicine has accumulated over time.
Zhou Zonghan pointed out that based on the average 355 ml of original Coke, each can contains about 39 grams of sugar and 140 calories. If you drink 5 cans a day, you’ll consume about 195 grams of sugar and 700 calories. The World Health Organization recommends that adults’ daily free sugar intake be less than 10% of total calories, which is about 50 grams when calculated based on 2,000 calories per day. In other words, Buffett’s daily sugar intake from Coke is close to four times the recommended upper limit.
Long-term consumption of large amounts of sugary beverages can increase the risk of obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and heart disease, and may also increase the risk of tooth decay. In particular, modern people are generally not active enough. If they consume sugary drinks containing hundreds of extra calories every day, this is more likely to lead to extra calories and increased metabolic burden in the long run.
As for not drinking boiled water for 48 years, Zhou Zonghan pointed out that this does not mean that Buffett has not drunk water at all. The water required by the human body cannot necessarily be obtained from boiled water only. Water present in tea, milk, soup and food can also meet the needs of the body. Therefore, a more accurate statement should be not to drink boiled water for a long time, but not to consume water at all. However, although sugary drinks may replenish water, they also bring a lot of sugar and calories. Therefore, we cannot think that Cola can replace daily drinking water.
Why can Buffett maintain such eating habits and still live a long life? Zhou Zonghan said that human lifespan is affected by many factors such as genetic genes, living environment, metabolic capacity, exercise habits, sleep quality and disease risk, and cannot be solely attributed to a certain food or drink. Everyone’s insulin sensitivity, fat metabolism and body regulation ability are also different. Some people have no obvious symptoms in the short term, which does not mean that consuming large amounts of sugar over a long period of time has no health effects.
Zhou Zonghan believes that diet maintenance requires appropriateness and balance. The spleen and stomach are responsible for transporting and converting water and grain essence. If you consume too many sweet, greasy, high-calorie foods for a long time, it will easily increase the metabolic burden on the body. The phlegm-drenched nature mentioned in Traditional Chinese Medicine is usually seen as a heavy body, easy fatigue, abdominal obesity, etc. However, one’s phlegm-damp nature cannot be predicted simply by drinking cola. A comprehensive physical and physiological status assessment is still necessary.
Zhou Zonghan reminded that ordinary people should not copy Buffett’s habit of drinking 5 cans of Coke a day, especially people with obesity, diabetes, fatty liver and hyperlipidemia, and should reduce sugary drinks. If you really like Coke, you can reduce the frequency of drinking and portion size. Sugar-free versions can also reduce sugar intake. It is recommended that plain water should still be the main daily drink. However, the amount of water drunk is not suitable for everyone. Patients with kidney disease, heart failure, etc., who need to limit water intake should make adjustments as per the doctor’s instructions.
Summary FAQ
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Doctors explained that this is a typical survivorship bias. They only look at successful cases of people who still drink Coke at older ages, but ignore the many people who develop metabolic diseases early on as a result. Individual cases cannot be used to overturn the overall medical evidence.
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Based on estimates for each 355 ml can of original Coke, one can is approximately 39 grams of sugar and 140 calories, and 5 cans is equivalent to approximately 195 grams of sugar and 700 calories, which is close to 4 times the normal daily recommended upper limit.
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This does not mean that water should not be drunk at all, as tea, milk, soups and food all contain water; However, although sugary drinks can replenish water, they also bring a lot of sugar and calories, and are still not suitable to replace daily drinking water.
