{"id":6294,"date":"2025-09-22T16:48:43","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T23:48:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/?p=6294"},"modified":"2025-09-22T16:48:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T23:48:43","slug":"heavy-soda-trend-sweeps-tiktok-sparking-health-warnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/?p=6294","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Heavy soda\u2019 trend sweeps TikTok, sparking health warnings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"main\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"hydrate-root sc-10wlkbs-0\" data-component=\"SupportNSCNative\" data-loading=\"lazy\" data-theme-name=\"base\">\n<aside class=\"sc-hez36s-0 dFpFuY\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-1 iBibVd\">\n<h3 data-testid=\"support-nsc-title\" class=\"sc-hez36s-2 fXvmgM\">Your support helps us to tell the story<\/h3>\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-8 juUDRT\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-13 cqPbFA\">\n<div class=\"sc-aja53j-0 rAFIl sc-hez36s-16 jZSKtc\">\n<div class=\"sc-aja53j-6 PdmgT\">\n<div data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-collapsed-content-container\" class=\"sc-aja53j-5 hJPJVF\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-collapsed-content\" class=\"sc-aja53j-4 dDhojf\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"support-nsc-collapsed-content-tablet\" class=\"sc-hez36s-7 cUJDWn\">\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 jEZjIj\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 jEZjIj\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 jEZjIj\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"sc-1uza6dc-1 gunhQQ\">Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"sc-aja53j-1 keLMOw sc-aja53j-7 eMEmGu\"><span data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-dropdown-tablet\" class=\"sc-aja53j-3 dHXFkr\"><span data-action-type=\"Read more\" class=\"sc-aja53j-2 jrwZqm\">Read more<\/span><svg class=\"sc-eaj12q-0 hUgQwJ sc-culv3z-0 eifaJK sc-a5wy94-0 hyKPon\"><use href=\"#ee6613da15642019\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A new sweet drink craze is sweeping the nation: Heavy soda. <\/p>\n<p>Usually, the soda fountain machine in convenience stores operates by combining pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and flavored syrup to dispense your favorite carbonated soft drink. Those drink options can include popular sodas like Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, and Mountain Dew. <\/p>\n<p>However, according to many posts on social media including the popular \u201cSoda\u201d Reddit thread, some gas stations are changing their fountain sodas to be heavier on the syrup, resulting in a much sweeter drink.<\/p>\n<p>One post shared in April of a convenience store soda machine serving Pepsi with the label \u201cheavy\u201d on it sparked conversation about the trend. In the comments, many people said that while they\u2019ve heard of heavy soda, it\u2019s only been popular in the Southern region of the U.S. <\/p>\n<p>However, other people said they\u2019ve seen this drink before. <\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-awdjp1-2 cbpRGD sc-awdjp1-3 image align-center\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cXcwgU\">\n<div class=\"sc-awdjp1-0 bGiWhT\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2025\/09\/22\/18\/59\/iStock-1225230295.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2025\/09\/22\/18\/59\/iStock-1225230295.jpeg?quality=75&amp;width=320&amp;auto=webp 320w, https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2025\/09\/22\/18\/59\/iStock-1225230295.jpeg?quality=75&amp;width=640&amp;auto=webp 640w\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"People are drinking fountain sodas with a higher ratio of syrup than water in latest trend\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 bpFomM hgzWpY\">People are drinking fountain sodas with a higher ratio of syrup than water in latest trend<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 CXMrn\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->Getty Images\/iStockphoto<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cFor everyone asking, Heavy Pepsi is a Missouri thing,\u201d one wrote, while another responded: \u201cI&#8217;ve seen it in Missouri gas stations south of St. Louis. I tried the \u2018heavy\u2019 Mountain Dew. It&#8217;s way better than it should be.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve lived in and been all over the South most of my life, and I have never heard of or seen this anywhere,\u201d a third responded. \u201cThis must be some very backwoods rural area place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Others claimed the heavy soda was made for specific customers. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is for the people who work outside or travel in their car\/truck all day,\u201d one wrote. \u201cNormally purchased in the morning, so when the ice melts throughout the day, it dilutes the heavy to make the soda taste normal. If one were to use regular, when the ice melted, the soda would taste watered down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s for people who buy a big soda in the morning; as the ice melts all day, heavy ends up tasting normal instead of watery,\u201d another said. <\/p>\n<p>In a TikTok video posted in April, Peter Early, who often posts food reviews on his page, reacted to the trend. He quipped that as gas stations are increasing the ratio of soda syrup in their foundation machines, people could give heavy soda a try if \u201cthey\u2019re at no risk of diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, health experts have a few concerns about the heavy soda trend. Dr. Jeremy Manuele, a Las Vegas orthodontist, told <em>Fox News Digital<\/em> that while the extra syrup makes the soda feel \u201clike even more of a little treat,\u201d that sugar increases the risk of cavities, gum inflammation, and enamel erosion, which is the breakdown of your teeth\u2019s protective layers. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of the same bacteria linked to gum disease have also been connected to heart disease and other health issues,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt seems we are always trying to find new ways to make getting our soda fix exciting. It might appear fun and innocent in the moment, but if it sticks around, it could lead to health issues that people are not thinking about yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The heavy soda trend comes as brands are trying to make soft drinks more fun. In July, McDonald\u2019s began testing out its line of dirty sodas, which is a drink made up of a base soda, usually a popular brand such as Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, or Sprite, and then spiked with a syrup or a flavored coffee creamer. It\u2019s particularly popular among teens and those who prefer not to drink alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>The flavor lineup includes Toasted Vanilla Frapp\u00e9, Strawberry Watermelon Refresher, Sprite Lunar Splash, Popping Tropic Refresher, and Creamy Vanilla Cold Brew.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, in select stores in the U.S. and Canada, Crumbl Cookies is also testing out its line of dirty sodas, which are also fountain drinks mixed with flavored syrups, cream, or heavy cream. While there are up to 46 different dirty soda options at select Crumbl stores, customers can opt to create their own. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more A new sweet drink craze is sweeping the nation: Heavy soda. Usually, the soda fountain machine in convenience stores operates by combining pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and flavored syrup to dispense your favorite carbonated soft drink. Those drink options can include popular sodas like Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, and Mountain Dew. However, according to many posts on social media including the popular \u201cSoda\u201d Reddit thread, some gas stations are changing their fountain sodas to be heavier on the syrup, resulting in a much sweeter drink. One post shared in April of a convenience store soda machine serving Pepsi with the label \u201cheavy\u201d on it sparked conversation about the trend. In the comments, many people said that while they\u2019ve heard of heavy soda, it\u2019s only been popular in the Southern region of the U.S. However, other people said they\u2019ve seen this drink before. People are drinking fountain sodas with a higher ratio of syrup than water in latest trend (Getty Images\/iStockphoto) \u201cFor everyone asking, H&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6294"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}