With fall weather around the corner, Starbucks has rereleased one of their most popular drink, the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL). This drink is known to be the most popular seasonal drink Starbucks has ever released. It is so popular that many people have made knock off recipes, gifs and have tweeted thousands of times about the beverage. But besides how good the latte taste, have you ever thought of what happens to your body when you drink the beverage?
Effects on the Brain
The Pumpkin Spice Latte has 12 teaspoons of sugar in an 16 oz. cup. So why do you crave sweet drinks like the PSL? Your body’s response is similar to what happens when someone uses heroin or cocaine.
Effects on the Pancreas
Within the first 20 minutes of consuming the beverage your pancreas begins to produce insulin to help break down the sugar into glucose for your body’s cells, where it then can be stored for energy or used for fuel. However, if your cells are already full of glucose, it gets rejected.This is problematic because that excess sugar can turn into fat which can then lead to other health problems.
Effects on the Liver
Your insulin levels then spike after the sugar rush. If you drink a grande PSL it has 50 grams of sugar, including the whipped cream, which is more than 100 percent of your daily recommended intake. This large amount of sugar can be very hard on your system. Within a half-hour, your liver starts to create glycogen, a stored form of glucose which is trying to store the extra sugar into fat.
Effects on the Blood
Your triglyceride level (fats in your blood) starts increasing as the fat gets absorbed into your body. This increase can cause clogged blood vessels and lead to other health complications. The raise triglyceride levels can lead to higher risks of atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up in your arteries.
Effect on the Heart
After 15 minutes of drinking a PSL, your blood pressure and pulse increase, meaning that the caffeine is starting to kick in. However, it might take up to 45 minutes for the full effect of the caffeine to set in. The reason being, the “PSL delays the absorption of the caffeine in your stomach, slowing down the time it will take to ramp up your heart rate,” says Sonya Angelone a dietitian-nutritionist. If you drink an PSL two or three hours prior to going to bed it can cause problems sleeping.
Effects on the Stomach
The upside to drinking a Pumpkin Spice Latte is that is contains 14 grams of protein. This can help boost your muscles and leave you feeling fuller,longer. The beverage can account for 20 percent of your recommended fat intake and average calorie intake for the whole day. However, the large amount of sugar and caffeine can also cause the drink to mess with your stomach. It can cause gastrointestinal discomfort, which can then lead to an affect on your mood and energy levels.
If you lead a healthy life and take care of your self there is no reason that you cannot treat yourself to a Pumpkin Spice Latte. It is when drinking the beverage becomes a habit where it can do a lot of damage to your body.
I really liked the way you structured your post, it really flowed well! I have come to hate Starbucks because their prices are so high and you’re not getting that much out of it. I don’t think very many people actually think about what is in their drinks, we’re all so caught up with what we’re eating. This opened my eyes, and hopefully many other people’s!
I actually did a blog post earlier today on a similar topic. However, my post was more focused on the effects of caffeine and obscene amounts of caffeine in Starbucks coffee. You post was well structured and I think you clearly got your point across. I would advise going forward that you use more than one source for you blog post. Because you cited most of your information from them and even used their picture in the same way they did it starts to walk the line of just straight copying! Other than that I think this was a great post!
I am not a PSL person, but I saw this and I had to stop and read. It’s insane that, it causes so much. I really love how you first broke it up by organ. This was one of the best posts I’ve read so far. Very creative and interesting. Awesome job!