These days, ‘functional drinks’ are gaining popularity among health-conscious consumers.One They are a type of mass-produced beverage that claims to not only taste good but also have health benefits. One of the biggest companies in this market is Poppi, which claims that its products are good for gut health.
But one discerning shopper was able to see through the misleading advertising that Poppi was spreading, and a lawsuit was filed in California claiming that Poppi soda did not provide the benefits advertised.
Poppy sued for making misleading health claims
The lawsuit was filed on May 29, 2024 by Kristin Cobbs of San Francisco, California.2 Against Poppi. For those who don't know, the company started out as a local vendor of apple cider vinegar soda and gained public recognition after appearing on the show “Shark Tank.” After a successful sale on the show, the company's product was rolled out to major grocery chains nationwide.
Here’s the gist of the lawsuit: Poppi claims its product is “good for your gut” because it contains prebiotics (a type of dietary fiber). It also advertises itself as a healthier alternative to soda, with only 5 grams of sugar, apple cider vinegar, and less than 25 calories per can.three Thanks to the slogan “Be Gut Happy. Be Gut Healthy”4 And thanks to the influence of celebrities, Poppy's sales have surpassed $100 million and are expected to continue to grow.5
But the lawsuit claims Poppi’s soda doesn’t meet the criteria for providing a noticeable health benefit. The Associated Press reports that the soda contains very little inulin, which is derived from agave. According to Cobbs’ attorney:6
“The defendant's (Poppy's) success is largely due to its ability to preserve the flavor and sweetness of traditional soda while also claiming to be 'good for gut health' by including 'prebiotics', a specific type of dietary fiber commonly found in foods such as bananas and whole grains.
However, the defendant's Poppy Soda contains just 2 grams of prebiotic fiber, which is too little for a consumer to get meaningful gut health benefits from just one can.
Therefore, consumers would need to drink more than four Poppi sodas a day to realize the potential health benefits of prebiotic fiber. But even if consumers did this, Poppi’s high sugar content would likely offset most, if not all, of these claimed gut health benefits.”
Introduction to Textiles
Dietary fiber is a carbohydrate found in fruits and vegetables that the body cannot digest. It is essential for digestive health and many studies support this hypothesis. In one study,7 Dietary fiber has been shown to help improve bowel motility and relieve constipation. Dietary fiber also helps increase satiety, which may help reduce excessive food intake and contribute to weight loss.8
Perhaps one of the most important benefits of dietary fiber is its effect on gut microbes, according to one study.9 According to a study published in Cell, not getting enough fiber can change your gut microbiome, as the probiotics start looking for other sources of nutrition, damaging the gut lining. Here’s what they found:
“(In chronic or intermittent dietary fiber deficiency) the gut microbiota uses the host's secreted mucin glycoproteins as a source of nutrients, leading to erosion of the colonic mucus barrier. Dietary fiber deficiency, together with fiber-deficient and mucus-eroding microbes, promotes epithelial access of the mucosal pathogen Citrobacter rodentium, resulting in life-threatening colitis.”
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Health Department suggests an ideal fiber intake of 25 to 30 grams per day from a variety of plant foods.10 But in the lawsuit, attorneys argue that Poppy's product contains only 2.5 grams of inulin, which is derived from agave.11
In context, prebiotic fibers feed the microbes already living in your gut. Studies have shown that they can help boost immune function by increasing the population of probiotics that fight pathogens.12 In addition, Cobbs claims that Poppi's inulin causes stomach discomfort. Why is that? In the article13 Dr. Hannah Hoschler, a nutrition professor in the New York Times, explains:
“Inulin fiber, which is used in prebiotic sodas, can cause digestive discomfort… For example, eating just 1 to 5 grams can cause mild bloating, while eating larger amounts can cause bloating. Some people report that they experience gas and bloating when they eat foods containing inulin, while others may not experience any symptoms at all.”
Three Ways Fiber Causes Stomach Problems
If you've tried adding fiber to your diet but still experience frequent bloating, it could be because your digestive system isn't functioning properly or there's too much oxygen in your intestines.
The gut microbiome functions optimally in an oxygen-deprived environment. When there is too much oxygen in the gut, the beneficial, oxygen-intolerant bacteria begin to suffer. At the same time, the oxygen-rich environment allows pathogenic bacteria to thrive in the gut, creating an imbalance. When harmful bacteria outnumber good bacteria, they leave behind waste products called endotoxins that can damage mitochondrial function.14
So, to improve your gut health, it’s important to take care of your mitochondrial health and cellular energy production, and that starts with avoiding these three triggers:
• Linoleic acid (LA) — LA, found in seed oils, nuts, and most processed foods, is one of the most harmful toxins in the Western diet. When consumed in excess, it makes cell membranes more susceptible to oxidative stress, alters mitochondrial function, and reduces energy production. Ideally, LA intake should be kept below 5 g/day, but 2 g/day is better.
• Electromagnetic fields (EMF) – When exposed to EMF, voltage-gated calcium channels within cells are activated, causing an increase in intracellular calcium. When this happens, a chain of events occurs that leads to cell damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. For strategies to help you avoid EMF, see my article, “Reducing EMF Exposure.”
• Estrogen — Similar to EMFs, estrogen increases intracellular calcium, which leads to the production of nitric oxide and superoxide, which increases oxidative stress. Estrogen also increases the presence of free radicals in the body, which impairs energy production.
Build a strong foundation for your chapter
Now that we know why simply eating more fiber won’t do anything, the logical next step is to build a solid foundation, starting with gut health. Again, adding fiber without dealing with gut oxygen creates an environment where good bacteria can die.
The first step is to provide glucose, the ideal energy source for your body. If your gut health is compromised, your body may not be able to tolerate complex carbohydrates right away, so it is best to start with simple carbohydrates.
The best reason to start with simple carbohydrates is because they are easily digested and absorbed by the body, providing much-needed energy to the mitochondria. I recommend starting with simple fruit juice (without pulp), then moving on to fruit juice with pulp, and then whole, ripe, seasonal fruits as your gut adjusts.
If done correctly, your gut will begin to heal and you can introduce more complex carbohydrates into your diet. Complex carbohydrates, found in fiber-rich foods like vegetables, whole grains, and beans, are the next step in restoring gut health. However, if you introduce them too early, pathogenic bacteria will eat them instead, nullifying your efforts.
How to properly reintroduce fiber into your diet
In fact, fiber is essential for optimal health. But as we saw in the lawsuit against Poppy, getting fiber from just one source (inulin) is not enough. Going back to Holscher’s interview with the New York Times,15 She says it’s best to vary your intake with whole grains because they contain a variety of fibers. They also contain other nutrients that work together to promote gut health, not just inulin. According to the article:
“These foods also provide multiple types of fiber—not just one or two, like you might find in soda or other supplemental fiber products. ‘It’s the complex mix of these different fibers that supports a diverse microbiome and overall gut health,’ says Dr. Holscher.”
I would like to elaborate on the above recommendation. I believe that combining soluble and insoluble fiber is the ideal approach for a healthy digestive system, and the reason why both are needed is because they both work differently.
Soluble fiber acts like a sponge, absorbing water and forming a gel-like substance in the intestines, slowing digestion and keeping you feeling fuller for longer. It also acts as a prebiotic, providing nutrition to the microflora. Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, passes through the intestines, bulking up the stool and promoting regular bowel movements. The table below lists the foods with the highest percentages of each type of dietary fiber.
| Soluble-insoluble fiber | Insoluble-soluble fiber |
|---|---|
| black beans | Well cooked mushrooms, carrots and bamboo shoots |
| Chickpeas | Berry |
| Lentils | Ground coconut meat |
| kidney beans | pineapple |
| Lima beans | Martha Harina |
| Brussels sprouts | date |
| avocado | cocoa |
| sweet potato | Guava |
| FIG | persimmon |
| apologize | Kiwi |
| ship | |
| orange | |
| oats |
Additional strategic solutions to help restore mitochondrial function
Starting with simple carbs and moving to complex carbs isn’t the only strategy that can help you restore gut health and mitochondrial function. Here are some additional tips you can implement:
- In addition to fruit juice, add organic maple syrup, raw honey, and dextrose (dissolved in water) to your list of simple sugars.
- Decreases lactic acid production and increases carbon dioxide (CO).2) to increase CO because it has the opposite effect on the body.2 Depending on your level, you may be able to blow air into a paper lunch bag several times a day and inhale CO.2 Bathhouse. Learn more about the important role of CO.2 In my article “The Biology of Carbon Dioxide”
- Reduce your stress levels, as chronic stress releases excess cortisol, a powerful inhibitor of mitochondrial function and biogenesis. Progesterone is a powerful cortisol blocker, so it can be very helpful here. You can learn more about the health benefits and dosing recommendations for progesterone in my article, “What You Need to Know About Estrogen and Serotonin.”
- Take supplemental niacinamide, as your mitochondria can't make energy without it. I recommend taking 50 milligrams three times a day.
In addition to these strategies, it would be wise to consistently include prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics in your daily diet to promote gut health and overall well-being.
It’s ideal to combine all three, because they work together. Prebiotics feed the gut microbiome, while probiotics already play a role in digestive health. Postbiotics, on the other hand, are active compounds produced during gut fermentation that provide health benefits.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with postbiotics, they are the healthy byproducts that remain in the gut after prebiotics and postbiotics have been digested. According to Harvard Health Publishing:16 Examples of postbiotics include vitamins B, vitamin K, and antimicrobial peptides that help suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
