Ever heard of mommy’s advise on how to avoid getting diabetes? Avoid Coca-Cola at all cost because it’s an evil drink that pump sugar into your body. Tell that to Warren Buffett and the owner of the 100-year-old company will rubbish this nonsense. Even if it’s true Coca-Cola does contribute to diabetes, so what? People still buy them, considering the US$50 billion in the brand’s value and the addictive taste.

Now, Coca-Cola is to launch another brand new cola – “Coca-Cola Life”. The company claims its new version of bestselling soft drink has a third (33%) less sugar and a third fever calories. Coca-Cola Life, which was first piloted in Argentina and Chile last year, is sweetened from “natural ingredients” rather than artificial sweeteners (hmm, why do all soft drink manufacturers claim the same thing?).

The new Coca-Cola Life was not to combat diabetes but obesity instead. Scheduled to enter UK market in September, this will be the first new Coca-Cola to be made available in Britain since the introduction of Coca-Cola Zero (or Coke Zero) in 2006, which has a low-calorie (0.50 kilocalories per 150ml) specifically for men. But unlike Coke Zero, Coca-Cola Life comes in a green can.

The company said the new drink would help meet its pledges made under the UK government’s voluntary anti-obesity drive. Sure, but the fact that Coca-Cola Life is still loaded with more than four teaspoons of sugar per 330ml can – equivalent to one quarter of a child’s daily recommended maximum intake – shows this could be another misleading product.

A regular 330ml can of Coca-Cola contains 35 grams of sugar, or 39% of an adult’s GDA (guideline daily amount), while the new Coca-Cola Life consists of 22.1 grams or 25% of an adult’s GDA. A regular 300ml can of Coca-Cola also contains 139 calories while its other comrades Coke Zero and Diet Coke have zero calories. As for the new Coca-Cola Life – it has 89 calories.

The new cola is sweetened with a blend of sugar and stevia leaf extract, which is native to South America. Interestingly, extract from stevia plant is already used in the company’s Sprite and Glacéau vitamin water in UK, as well as by manufacturer PepsiCo. Used for hundreds of years in Brazil and Paraguay, stevia sweetener is also used in Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and recently EU.

Available in a 330ml can, 500ml bottle and 1.75L bottle for Great Britain market, Coca-Cola UK has committed to the government to reduce the average calories per litre in its range of sparkling drinks by 5% by the end of 2014. But critics say this is still another sugary drink, regardless whether it comes with green or white can. Actually there’s a simple way to beat diabetes and obesity – just drink water.

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