Warren Buffett’s Reported 48-Year Avoidance of Water and 5-Cans-a-Day Coke Habit Highlight Sugary Drink Health Risks
An anecdote has emerged claiming that Warren Buffett, 96 years old, the former chairman of Berkshire Hathaway known as an investment genius, did not drink water for about 50 years.
According to foreign media outlets including Business Insider recently, American billionaire investor Bill Ackman, 60 years old, appeared on the podcast Equity Mates Investing and shared an experience of dining with Buffett in the past.
Ackman said that when he invited Buffett to his home several years ago, he prepared Buffett’s favorite Cherry Coke in advance. At the meal, when Ackman asked whether he wanted regular water or sparkling water, Buffett chose Coke instead of water. When Ackman asked again whether he normally did not drink water, Buffett reportedly replied, “I haven’t had water in 48 years.”
It has not been confirmed whether Buffett actually went for decades without drinking any water, but he is well known for drinking five cans of Coke a day. In a 2015 interview with the U.S. business magazine Fortune, he joked that he obtained about 25% of his daily calories from Coca-Cola, describing himself as “a quarter Coca-Cola.” At the 1986 Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders’ meeting, he also declared that he would drink Cherry Coke instead of Pepsi, which he had enjoyed for 48 years.
Buffett is known to enjoy not only Coke but also fast food and sweets. He has breakfast with a McDonald’s hamburger on his way to work and enjoys hot dogs, french fries, popcorn, cookies, candy and ice cream. There is also an anecdote that when he traveled to China with Bill Gates and his wife in 1995, the couple had hotel chefs learn how to prepare hamburgers and french fries for Buffett. When they climbed the Great Wall of China, they also prepared his favorite Cherry Coke in advance.
However, the fact that Buffett has lived to the age of 96 does not mean that these eating habits are good for his health. According to the official Coca-Cola website in the United States, one 355mL can of regular Coke contains 39g of sugar. Drinking five cans a day means consuming about 195g of sugar from beverages alone. The World Health Organization, WHO, recommends limiting free sugars, meaning sugars added to foods and those contained in fruit juices, to less than 10% of total daily calorie intake and, if possible, reducing them to less than 5%. For an adult consuming 2000kcal a day, those amounts are equivalent to 50g and 25g, respectively.
Excessive consumption of sugary drinks can increase the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Although Coke can also provide hydration, it is best to avoid drinking it habitually instead of water because it contains large amounts of sugar and calories.