Squeaky clean Utah shuns booze and drugs - but why are its residents addicted to 'dirty sodas'?
Utah is battling an addiction crisis - but it's nothing to do with booze, drugs, or fast food.
Instead the Beehive State is hooked on soda.
Now YouTuber Tyler Oliveira has delved deeper into why the sugary drinks have thousands in their grip, and what inspired the craze.
In his film, one man named Steve Kinyon admits sometimes he guzzles more than 5 gallons of diet soda a day and he spends $300 a week on soda alone.
Steve, a father-of-two with over 66,000 Instagram followers on his food-centric account, says even his young sons — ages four and two — love soda.
His wife, Kephren, is 'concerned' about the habit.
Tyler explains that the state's large Mormon population plays a central role. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are typically forbidden from drinking alcohol and hot caffeinated drinks like coffee or tea.
But soda, especially cold caffeinated soda, falls into a gray area — one that many Utahns have embraced enthusiastically.
Enter 'Dirty Sodas,' a wildly popular beverage trend in the state. These are essentially soda-based mocktails, with concoctions made using base sodas like Dr Pepper, Sprite, or Coca-Cola, spiked with flavored syrups, purees, creams, and fruit.
'These are basically cocktails without the alcohol,' one woman explains in Oliveira's documentary.
A popular pick at the soda drive-thru chain Swig is the Mojito Mama, a tropical mix of lemonade, coconut puree, coconut cream, mint, and fresh lime.
A 44oz cup can pack more than 600 calories — similar to a fast food meal.
But while many in the community view their vice as much safer than drugs or alcohol, copious amounts of soda has its risks.
Obesity, diabetes, increased blood pressure, and kidney disease are just some of the hazards.
Meanwhile, caffeine in caffeinated soda drinks can cause anxiety, increased heart rate and higher blood pressure.
Along with the health impact of drinking so much soda, there is also a financial repercussion.
'If he started going into debt for this, it would be divorce,' Kephren says in one scene, as Steve is seen unloading a haul of soda from the trunk of his car.
When Oliveira visits several soda drive-thrus across Utah one morning, he finds long lines and loyal customers who say they rely on their daily fix.
One woman reveals her boss drinks two 44oz sodas every day. Another says her workplace caters to the habit with built-in 'soda breaks.'
She tells Tyler outside a drive-thru in the largely Mormon city of Provo: '[Soda is] literally people's entire world.
'I'm [working] at an office right over here. We shut down twice a day so that everybody can go get their dirty sodas.'
Meanwhile, one man likens soda culture in Utah to coffee culture in other parts of the world, but he highlights that soda culture is even more unique as it is 'much more customizable'.
'There's nothing else like it,' he says.
But while it may feel like a harmless cultural quirk, the habit could be taking years off people's lives.
A University of Michigan study found that just two sugar-sweetened beverages per day could cost someone 24 minutes of life expectancy.
Over time, that adds up. If someone starts drinking soda at age five and continues for 50 years, they could lose nearly a year off their life — about 304 days.
Getting their hit: Many people reveal that they drink soda on a daily basis and one woman says that her boss drinks two 44oz servings a day
According to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics, roughly half of Americans over the age of two drink two sugary beverages a day on average.
The health risks are well documented: added sugars are linked to obesity, certain cancers, chronic kidney disease, and heart disease.
And even artificial sweeteners may carry similar risks.
Despite its booming soda craze, Utah's obesity rate is slightly lower than the national average.
In 2023, the age-adjusted obesity rate in Utah adults was 31 per cent, while the prevalence for US adults was 33.1 per cent.
Meanwhile, the American Diabetes Association reports that 191,658 people in Utah, or 7.9 per cent of the adult population, have diagnosed diabetes. This is also below the national average, which is currently just over 11 per cent.
However, experts believe the number of people suffering with diabetes could be much higher with an additional 51,000 people in Utah going undiagnosed, 'greatly increasing their health risk.'
Diagnosed diabetes costs an estimated $1.7 billion in Utah each year.
Commenting on the University of Michigan findings, food safety expert Dr Darin Detwiler previously told DailyMail.com: 'This study reinforces that making small, consistent changes in beverage habits may add years to life expectancy and improve overall health.'
He added: 'Taking this study literally, a healthy 20-year-old person — whose life expectancy may be 79 years — who starts drinking two sodas a day may, according to the study, lose three to four years of life due to the impacts of those drinks.'
Still, Dr Detwiler emphasized that the study's findings are 'observational not scientific,' meaning they don't prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Even so, he urges the public to take the results seriously.
'Cutting out soda or reducing consumption might extend life expectancy,' he said. 'But one thing that is for sure, is that removing these sugary drinks will definitely improve your quality of life, including reducing risks of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.'
He also points to better weight management and overall health as benefits of quitting soda, using a vivid analogy: 'Think of soft drink consumption as driving a car without regular maintenance.
'While it doesn't guarantee a breakdown, over time the likelihood of a serious problem increases - especially if combined with other unhealthy habits.'
Dr Detwiler added that the findings could support new public health messaging: 'Perhaps this study could support public awareness campaigns about risks.
'I could also see this as a driving force behind policies to reduce soft drink availability in schools and workplaces.'
For now, Utah's Dirty Soda craze shows no signs of slowing down.
But with new health warnings and rising awareness of the long-term costs, the state's sugar-fueled habits may soon be put to the test.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Scientists reveal how humans will have superpowers by 2030
By 2030, rapid technological advancements are expected to reshape humanity, unlocking abilities once confined to science fiction—from superhuman strength to enhanced senses. Robotic exoskeletons may soon allow people to lift heavy objects with ease, while AI-powered wearables, such as smart glasses and earbuds, could provide real-time information and immersive augmented reality experiences. Healthcare may be revolutionized by microscopic nanobots capable of repairing tissue and fighting disease from within the bloodstream, potentially extending human lifespans. Developers are also working on contact lenses with infrared vision and devices that allow users to "feel" digital objects, paving the way for entirely new ways to experience the world. Tech pioneers like former Google engineer Ray Kurzweil believe these innovations are early steps toward the merging of humans and machines, with brain-computer interfaces offering direct access to digital intelligence. While many of these breakthroughs are already in progress, others remain in the experimental phase, facing significant technical and ethical challenges, including concerns about privacy and safety. Still, some of these futuristic technologies may become reality within the next five years, with the potential to enhance human strength, cognition, and perception in ways never before possible. Superhuman strength Kurzweil, a self-proclaimed futurist, has claimed that the foundation of human immortality will begin in 2030, with man set to merge with machines by 2045. By 2030, robotic exoskeletons could give human beings super strength, either by enabling feats like lifting huge objects in factories or making soldiers stronger on the battlefield. US-based robotics company Sarcos Robotics has already demonstrated a robotic exoskeleton that has a 'strength gain' ratio of 20-to-one. This means that normal people can carry weights of up to 200 pounds over an extended period of time. The suit took 17 years and $175 million to develop. Other exoskeletons, such as German Bionic's 'Exia' exoskeleton, incorporate AI that learns from the wearer's movement, enabling them to lift huge weights without feeling tired. These exoskeletons are already being used by staff in German hospitals. Super-healing and immortality In five years, humans could have tiny 'nanobots' in their bloodstream to keep them healthy, meaning people could recover rapidly from injury and even from diseases such as cancer. Kurzweil has claimed that by 2029, artificial intelligence will become 'superhuman' and that will allow for more technological breakthroughs to follow rapidly. One of the upcoming breakthroughs, according to Kurzweil, will be the development of microscopic nanobots that operate within the bloodstream, maintaining health without the need for constant medical monitoring. In his latest book, The Singularity Is Nearer, Kurzweil forecasts a dramatic transformation in human life after 2029, with essential goods becoming more affordable and people beginning to merge with machines through technologies like brain-computer interfaces, similar to Elon Musk's Neuralink. He also pointed to recent advances in artificial intelligence, including tools like ChatGPT, as evidence that his 2005 predictions are on track, stating that "the trajectory is clear." Super vision Contact lenses that enable wearers to see huge distances or even to beam computer information directly into their eyes could be on sale by 2030. Scientists in China recently developed contact lenses that allow wearers to see in the dark. The new lenses allow wearers to see infrared light, without requiring bulky night-vision goggles. Professor Tian Xue, at the University of Science and Technology of China, said he hopes his work could inspire scientists to create contact lenses that offer people 'super vision.' Enhanced senses Devices that give humans enhanced senses could be on the market, with research by Ericsson, a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company, suggesting that digital wristbands could soon give anyone the ability to 'feel' digital objects. Pioneering 'cyborg' designers have already tested devices that give people superhuman senses. Entrepreneur, transhumanist, and self-described cyborg Liviu Babitz created 'Northsense,' which allowed him to sense when he faces magnetic north. Manel Munoz, founder of the Trans Species Society, implanted two 'fins' on top of his head, which enabled him to 'hear' the weather. The sound is transmitted through his skull by bone conduction. Munoz has said he hears the weather through the 'sound of bubbles.' Knowing everything instantly with digital wearables By 2030, AI-enhanced wearables such as earbuds could enable everyone to plug into 'digital superpowers,' with everyone able to receive answers instantly. Meta is already adding AI to Ray-Ban glasses, and Google is designing an operating system for XR (augmented reality and virtual reality). Computer scientist Louis Rosenberg has said that these abilities will emerge from the convergence of AI, augmented reality, and conversational computing. 'They will be unleashed by context-aware AI agents that are loaded into body-worn devices that see what we see, hear what we hear, experience what we experience, and provide us with enhanced abilities to perceive and interpret our world,' Rosenberg explained. 'I refer to this new technological direction as augmented mentality and I predict that by 2030, a majority of us will live our lives with context-aware AI agents bringing digital superpowers into our daily experiences.'
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Woman's terrifying warning after she suffered third-degree burns from the SUN
Summer is just around the corner - and one woman is already sharing cautionary tales about what can happen if your receive too much sun. Taylor Faith posted a video to TikTok this week explaining that she had suffered from horrific, third-degree burns after being in the sun for eight hours with no protection. In a short clip posted online, both of Taylor's legs were completely covered in gauze, and a small glimpse of her severely sunburned skin underneath looked bright red and painful. 'Me because I decided not to wear sunscreen,' she wrote on the video. 'Third degree sun burn and haven't been able to walk for five days,' she captioned the video, which has been viewed over six million times. 'I think this life lesson is gonna turn me into a sunscreen activist,' she added. According to a comment left on the post, the hospital told Taylor it was the first time they had seen such a severe burn from the sun. 'My insides are severely damaged and all my blood vessels are as well,' she wrote. According to the Cleveland Clini c, sunburns occur from exposure to the sun's UV rays or UV light from artificial sources. 'You can usually treat first- and second-degree sunburns at home. Third-degree sunburns are very rare but need emergency treatment,' the site noted. A third-degree sunscreen severely damages all layers of your skin, including the fat layer beneath your skin. 'It can also destroy nerve endings. Most third-degree burns result from a chemical burn or a fire and not from sun exposure,' the website added. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, around one in three American people will experience a sunburn each year, this means approximately 100 million people are sunburned annually. The same AAD survey showed less than 34 percent of Americans use sunscreen, with only a third of users reapplying it every two hours. As many as 27 percent of people who do use sunscreen tend not to reapply sunscreen at all. The AAD noted that since sunscreen's protective qualities wear off over time, as well as sweat and water that can wash it off the skin, it's important to reapply sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays and reduce your risk of sunburn. Last year, Dr. Neera Nathan, a Harvard-trained skin cancer surgeon, shared a TikTok revealing she removes cancers from the backs of hands, ears, scalp and neck regularly. She explained that since these areas are often exposed directly to sunlight they're particularly dangerous places to overlook. 'Most people apply sunscreen to their face but don't realize these, and these are often in direct sunlight,' Dr. Nathan told Newsweek. Dr. David Kim, a New York City based dermatologist who was trained at Stanford, agreed, saying the number one place people forget to apply sunscreen is on the ears - followed closely by the scalp and hands. He said while completing his medical degree he regularly found skin cancers on the ears of outdoor athletes who practiced without sunscreen. The risk of getting sunburned can be reduced by protecting the skin everyday, including covering up and wearing sunscreen, as well as reapplying.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
I thought I lived in a quaint, safe town... until my 16-year-old sister vanished in broad daylight
The last time Heather Bish saw her sister was just hours before she disappeared. Heather had just gotten over a stomach bug and sister Molly, 16, was excited to visit her and her goddaughter, Heather's 11-month-old baby.
