Understanding Nutrition: What drinks cause inflammation?

October 6, 2025 •

5 min read

According to a 2014 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soda was associated with a 63% increased risk of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in women. This highlights the significant, and often overlooked, link between certain beverages and inflammatory responses in the body, prompting the question: What drinks cause inflammation?.

Quick Summary

This guide examines how common beverages like sugary sodas, alcoholic drinks, and those with certain additives can trigger or worsen inflammatory conditions. It provides a comprehensive overview of how these choices impact health and offers anti-inflammatory alternatives.

Key Points

Sugary Drinks: Beverages high in added sugars like soda and fruit juice are a major driver of inflammation and can raise inflammatory markers and uric acid levels.
Excessive Alcohol: Chronic alcohol consumption promotes systemic inflammation by disrupting the gut barrier, stressing the liver, and altering immune responses.
Artificial Sweeteners: Some artificial sweeteners, like aspartame and sucralose, may negatively impact the gut microbiome and potentially trigger inflammation in sensitive individuals.
Coffee with Additives: While plain coffee has antioxidant properties, adding sugar, high-fat creamers, or syrups can create an inflammatory effect.
Prioritize Anti-Inflammatory Options: Simple swaps like choosing water, unsweetened teas, and vegetable juices can significantly reduce your intake of inflammatory ingredients and boost antioxidant consumption.
Gut Health Is Key: Many inflammatory drinks harm gut health, which has a widespread impact on systemic inflammation. Protecting your gut through your drink choices is crucial.

The Hidden Dangers in Your Glass

Chronic inflammation is a significant risk factor for a host of health issues, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. While much attention is placed on inflammatory foods, the drinks we consume can be equally, if not more, potent triggers. Many popular beverages are loaded with added sugars, artificial ingredients, or alcohol, all of which can provoke a negative inflammatory response in the body. Making conscious choices about what you drink is a crucial step toward managing and reducing inflammation.

Sugary Beverages: A Primary Culprit

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are arguably one of the most inflammatory drinks in the modern diet. This category includes sodas, sweet teas, many fruit juices, and flavored coffee drinks. The primary issue lies with their high content of added sugars, particularly high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sucrose. Excess sugar consumption triggers a cascade of inflammatory reactions within the body:

Blood Sugar Spikes: The simple sugars in SSBs are rapidly absorbed, causing a sharp rise in blood glucose. These spikes can trigger an inflammatory response.
Inflammatory Markers: Studies have linked high intake of added sugar from beverages to elevated levels of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP).
Uric Acid Levels: Fructose, a component of many sugars, can increase uric acid levels, which is a key contributor to gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis.
Gut Microbiome Disruption: A diet high in sugar can negatively alter the gut microbiome, which is strongly linked to immune function and systemic inflammation.

The Inflammatory Effects of Alcohol

While some studies have shown potential benefits from very moderate alcohol intake, excessive or chronic consumption is clearly pro-inflammatory. The mechanism involves several pathways, making it a significant concern for those managing inflammatory conditions.

Gut Permeability (Leaky Gut): Alcohol can increase the permeability of the intestinal lining, allowing bacterial toxins and other harmful substances (like lipopolysaccharide, or LPS) to enter the bloodstream. This systemic exposure triggers a powerful inflammatory response.
Liver Stress: The liver is the primary organ for metabolizing alcohol. This process produces toxic byproducts that cause oxidative stress and inflammation, potentially leading to alcoholic liver disease.
Immune System Modulation: Alcohol affects the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, weakening immune responses and making the body more susceptible to infections and inflammation.
Autoimmune Conditions: Alcohol intake has been shown to exacerbate symptoms in inflammatory conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and gout.

Artificial Sweeteners and Additives: A Complex Picture

For many years, artificial sweeteners were considered a healthy alternative to sugar. However, growing research suggests that they may not be entirely benign, particularly concerning their effect on the gut and inflammatory pathways.

Gut Microbiota Alterations: Some studies indicate that certain artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin and sucralose, can alter the composition of the gut microbiota, which is crucial for a healthy immune system and metabolic function. These alterations can potentially trigger inflammatory responses.
Aspartame Concerns: Aspartame, found in many diet sodas, has been linked by some research to inflammation. For sensitive individuals, it can provoke an immune response that triggers inflammation.
Genotoxicity: A 2025 study found that a byproduct of sucralose manufacturing, sucralose-D-acetate, can damage DNA and harm intestinal tight junctions, increasing inflammatory gene expression.

While more research is needed, especially in humans, the emerging evidence points towards a cautious approach, particularly for those with pre-existing inflammatory conditions like IBD.

How Your Coffee Habits Can Impact Inflammation

Coffee's effect on inflammation is complex and often depends on how it's prepared. Pure coffee contains beneficial antioxidants that can fight inflammation. However, additives and preparation methods can counteract these benefits.

The Problem with Additives: Adding sugar, sugary syrups, and excessive creamers to coffee introduces pro-inflammatory components that can negate coffee's natural antioxidant effects.
Unfiltered Coffee: Unfiltered methods like the French press contain diterpenes, compounds that can increase unhealthy fats in the body and contribute to a mild inflammatory effect. Choosing filtered coffee avoids this issue.
Sleep Disruption: High caffeine intake, especially later in the day, can interfere with sleep. Poor sleep is a known trigger for increased inflammatory markers in the body.

Inflammatory vs. Anti-Inflammatory Drinks: A Comparison


Drink Type	Examples	Inflammatory Compounds/Mechanism	Healthy Alternatives	Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Sugary Beverages	Soda, sweet tea, fruit juice	Added sugars (fructose, HFCS), blood sugar spikes, elevated inflammatory markers like CRP	Water, unsweetened herbal tea, lightly flavored water with fruit	Hydration, no added sugar, antioxidants (in some teas)
Alcoholic Beverages	Spirits, beer, excessive wine	Gut permeability, oxidative stress, liver inflammation, disrupts gut microbiome	None, or very moderate intake for certain individuals	None in excess; antioxidants in red wine are offset by inflammatory effects of alcohol
Artificially Sweetened Drinks	Diet soda, some flavored drinks	Aspartame, sucralose byproducts, potential gut microbiome disruption	Water, stevia-sweetened beverages (for some), herbal tea	Supports reduced added sugar intake, but potential inflammatory risks exist
Excessively Sugared Coffee	Syrupy lattes, frappes	High added sugar, sugary syrups, excess calories	Black coffee, coffee with a dash of milk, cinnamon, or cocoa	Coffee itself has antioxidants, especially when black or decaf
High-Fat Dairy Products	Full-fat milk, ice cream	High saturated fat, added sugars (in ice cream)	Low-fat or zero-fat dairy milk, plant-based milk alternatives	Low-fat dairy can be neutral or anti-inflammatory for many

Taking Control with Healthier Choices

Rebalancing your diet to reduce inflammation can start with simple changes to your drinking habits. Opting for nutrient-dense, naturally flavored, and unsweetened beverages is key to reaping anti-inflammatory benefits.

Practical Anti-Inflammatory Swaps

Switch from soda to sparkling water infused with fresh lemon, cucumber, or mint.
Replace high-sugar fruit juice with 100% vegetable juice or smoothies packed with greens and berries for antioxidants.
Trade your sugary coffee for black coffee or green tea, rich in anti-inflammatory polyphenols.
Try anti-inflammatory herbal drinks like turmeric ginger water or tulsi-ginger tea. Turmeric's curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory compound, and ginger is well-regarded for its anti-inflammatory effects.
Consider bone broth for its anti-inflammatory amino acids like proline, glycine, and arginine, which can support joint health.
Stay well-hydrated with plain water. Proper hydration is essential for all bodily functions and helps flush out toxins.

Conclusion

Many of the beverages we consume regularly, particularly those high in added sugars, alcohol, and certain artificial sweeteners, can contribute to chronic inflammation. These drinks can disrupt the gut microbiome, put stress on the liver, and elevate inflammatory markers in the body. By being mindful of your beverage choices and swapping inflammatory drinks for wholesome, hydrating alternatives like water, herbal tea, or black coffee, you can significantly reduce your body's inflammatory load and support your overall health. The decision to prioritize anti-inflammatory drinks is a powerful step toward a healthier, less inflamed body.

For more detailed information on alcohol's effect on gut inflammation, refer to this study on PubMed Central: Alcohol and Gut-Derived Inflammation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, research shows that regular intake of sugar-sweetened beverages like soda and fruit juice is linked to increased levels of inflammatory markers in the blood. The high sugar content can cause blood glucose spikes and negatively impact the gut microbiome.

Excessive alcohol consumption triggers inflammation by increasing the permeability of the intestinal wall, a condition known as 'leaky gut'. This allows toxins to enter the bloodstream, causing systemic inflammation. Alcohol also puts a strain on the liver, the main organ for metabolizing it.

The relationship between diet soda and inflammation is complex. While some artificial sweeteners like aspartame have been linked to potential inflammatory responses in sensitive individuals, studies on diet soda and conditions like rheumatoid arthritis have yielded mixed results. Still, it's best to be cautious.

The effect of coffee on inflammation depends on the preparation. Plain, black coffee contains anti-inflammatory antioxidants. However, adding sugar, flavored syrups, or high-fat creamers can negate these benefits and introduce pro-inflammatory ingredients. Unfiltered coffee may also contain inflammatory compounds.

Great anti-inflammatory drink options include water, unsweetened herbal teas (like ginger or turmeric tea), green tea, and 100% vegetable juice. Bone broth is also recommended for its anti-inflammatory amino acids.

Yes, many people with arthritis find that avoiding or limiting inflammatory drinks like sugary soda and excessive alcohol can help manage their symptoms, such as joint pain and swelling. Sugary beverages, especially those with fructose, can worsen gout.

Some non-dairy milks contain added sugar and other additives for flavor. Flavored oat milk, for instance, can contain significant added sugar. It's important to check labels and choose unsweetened varieties to minimize the risk of added sugar-induced inflammation.

Proper hydration is crucial for overall health and plays a role in managing inflammation. Staying hydrated, primarily by drinking plain water, helps the body's natural processes, including flushing out toxins that could contribute to inflammation.