Mountain Dew markets Kickstart Orange Citrus as “the great taste of DEW with real fruit juice and just the right amount of kick to start your day”. At first glance, this might seem like a good choice to start your day. But how good is Kickstart?
Let’s compare the ingredients in orange juice and Kickstart. I checked the ingredients for the orange juice in my fridge and found it contains just two ingredients. Kickstart, on the other hand, contains a long list of additives, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, and artificial colors.
| Orange juice | Mountain Dew Kickstart |
| Water Concentrated orange juice |
carbonated water high fructose corn syrup white grape juice concentrate concentrated orange juice citric acid sodium hexametaphosphate natural flavour gum Arabic potassium sorbate ascorbic acid caffeine sodium citrate acesulfame potassium sucrose acetate isobutyrate sucralose glycerol ester of rosin sodium benzoate niacinamide calcium disodium EDTA calcium pantothetate Yellow 5 Yellow6 pyridoxine hydrochloride |
I don’t know about you, but I like the ingredient list of orange juice a lot more! While some of the ingredients in Dew Kickstart are fairly benign, others have potential to make some people sick. Let’s look at a few of the ingredients in Kickstart.
High fructose corn syrup
This sweetener has had a lot of press regarding its ability to contribute to disease. Some studies have shown that excess consumption of sweeteners made from fructose is associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Sucralose
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that is sold as Splenda. Many people who want to restrict their intake of sugar use Splenda to reduce calories and reduce blood levels of glucose.
But some studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can potentially increase the risks for obesity and diabetes. A study conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine showed that consuming Splenda can actually increase the levels of insulin in the body. When the body produces excess insulin on a regular basis, insulin resistance can be the result. Insulin resistance is a risk factor for diabetes. So the studies suggest that Splenda may actually increase your risk for diabetes!
Yellow 5, Yellow 6
These are two food colorings that have been associated with hyperactivity in children. In England, food that contains Yellow 5 or Yellow 6 must include the following warning: “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.” Some studies have linked these food colorings with cancer, although these studies are still inconclusive.
Last thoughts
Mountain Dew makes a point to say that the drink contains real fruit juice. The drink does in fact contain real fruit juice, but it is only 5% real juice!
Dew Kickstart seems to try to be an alternative for a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee. While both orange juice and coffee have health benefits, Dew Kickstart has little to offer in terms of health. Some of the ingredients in Dew Kickstart could potentially have long term negative effects on your health.
What would you rather drink to start your day? A glass of orange juice with a cup of coffee or Dew Kickstart, a chemical concoction of sugar, food colorings, and additives? I think I’ll stick with coffee and juice! I don’t think we need a breakfast soda when we have a perfectly natural alternative.