David S. Allred, CEO and Founder of Släcka, is raising the alarm over a rapidly growing body of evidence linking sugary drinks to serious long-term health risks. Central to his concern is a 2024 analysis published in Nature Medicine that found sugar-sweetened beverages were responsible for approximately 9.8 percent of new type 2 diabetes cases and 3.1 percent of cardiovascular disease cases worldwide in 2020.
Sugary Drinks and the Global Health Crisis
The scale of the problem is stark. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults and children in the United States consume an average of 150 calories per day from sugary drinks — representing 6 to 12 percent of total daily caloric intake. A separate meta-analysis of 11 cohort studies involving more than 310,000 participants identified a 26 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes among those consuming just one to two servings of sugary beverages daily.
Beyond diabetes and cardiovascular disease, excessive sugar consumption has been linked to liver inflammation, elevated uric acid levels, and oral health deterioration — a combination of effects that places sugar-sweetened drinks among the most consequential dietary risk factors in the modern world.
The 3 PM Slump: When Cravings Peak
Allred draws particular attention to the mid-afternoon window, widely known as the "3 PM slump," when energy dips and cravings intensify. This is the period when many people reach for a sugary drink or snack to restore focus and energy. The problem, he explains, is cyclical: high-sugar beverages cause rapid glucose spikes followed by crashes, which reinforce dependence and further disrupt satiety signals and insulin sensitivity — making the slump worse over time, not better.
Why Allred Created Släcka
In direct response to this pattern, Allred developed Släcka as a functional alternative. Each can contains zero sugar and just five calories. Its formulation includes:
- Paraxanthine — a metabolite of caffeine that promotes focus without the overstimulation or jitteriness associated with standard caffeinated drinks - 5-HTP — a precursor to serotonin that supports appetite balance and reduces the urge to reach for high-calorie snacks - Electrolytes — to maintain hydration and cognitive performance during periods of fatigue - A calorie-free natural sweetener derived from fermented rice, designed to satisfy the craving for sweetness without triggering an insulin response
The result is a beverage formulated specifically for the between-meal time frame when sugar cravings are hardest to resist.
A Response to the Evidence
Sugar-sweetened beverages remain one of the most significant contributors to preventable metabolic disease. The research consistently links excessive consumption to the rapid rise of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and related metabolic disorders across every age group and region.
Allred's position is that awareness alone is insufficient. Consumers need better options readily available at the moment of temptation. Släcka, he argues, is a practical answer to that need — a beverage designed around current nutritional science and the realities of how and when people reach for something to drink.
