Olipop and Poppi: Prebiotic Soda Review

Are prebiotic sodas actually good for your gut?

Hello, readers! In this week’s edit, we’re taking a close look at two popular prebiotic soda brands: Olipop and Poppi.

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But before we start, in case you missed it, I shared a bonus post this week where I review a recent study on the effects of the non-sugar sweetener sucralose on the brain. You can check it out here. 👇.

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Prebiotics are a type of fibre that serves as food for the healthy bacteria (probiotics) in the gut. Consuming a diet rich in prebiotics, found naturally in many fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, has been linked to various health benefits, such as improved cardiovascular risk factors, better weight management and satiety, reduced inflammation, enhanced immune function, and improved absorption of certain nutrients.

As gut health continues to trend in the health and wellness space, prebiotic beverages like Olipop and Poppi have entered the market, aiming to disrupt the traditionally sugar-laden and "unhealthy" beverage category. In this review, I’ll evaluate the ingredients, nutrition facts, and whether these prebiotic drinks live up to their health claims. Since these products are quite similar, I’ll start with a breakdown of their nutrition facts and ingredients, followed by a combined review of both.

Olipop

Olipop is marketed as a soda alternative that contains “wholesome, hardworking ingredients instead of spoonfuls of sugar”. They are available in a variety of classic soda flavours, such as vintage cola, root beer, and ginger ale, along with unique flavours such as watermelon lime.

Nutrition Profile

The only macronutrient in Olipop is carbohydrates. Each can of Olipop contains 16 g of total carbohydrates, including 9 g of fibre from the OLISMART fibre blend and 2 g of sugar from cassava root syrup and apple juice, to a lesser extent. The vintage cola flavour contains 25 mg of salt from Himalayan pink salt.

Olipop ingredients

Prebiotics:

• Cassava root: source of resistant starch.

• Chicory root inulin

• Jerusalem artichoke inulin

• Kudzu root extract: source of resistant starch.

Botanicals:

• Calendula flower extract: used in herbal medicine since the 13th century for digestive issues and wound healing. While there is some evidence supporting its topical use for skin conditions, no scientific evidence exists supporting its role in digestive health.

• Marshmallow root extract: believed to support digestive health. No scientific evidence exists to support this.

• Alpinia Galanga root extract: believed to support digestive health. No scientific evidence exists to support this.

• Nopal cactus extract: thought to have potential benefits related to cholesterol and diabetes, but scientific evidence supporting these claims is limited.

Sweeteners:

• Cassava root syrup: sugar-based sweetener.

• Apple juice concentrate: used in small amounts, around 2 tsp per can.

• Stevia leaf extract: a natural non-caloric sweetener.

Flavourings:

• Lime juice: used to enhance the flavour.

• Natural flavours (cola, vanilla flavour, caramel): add the unique flavour to each soda. You can check out my previous review of natural flavours here for details about how these ingredients are made.

• Cinnamon extract: added to enhance the flavour.

Other ingredients:

• Himalayan pink salt: a source of added sodium used to enhance the flavour.

• Caffeine: extracted from green tea and added to mimic the caffeine you would find in traditional cola.

Poppi

Poppi is promoted as a healthy alternative to traditional soda. As stated on their website, “get all the soda feels with 5g sugar, ingredients you can love and prebiotics”. Poppi is available in 15 flavours, some mimicking classic soda flavours such as cream soda, classic cola, and root beer, and unique flavours such as strawberry lemon.

Nutrition Profile

The only macronutrient in Poppi is carbohydrates. Poppi contains 9 g of total carbohydrates per can, including 3 g of fibre, primarily from cassava root fibre. Each can also contains 5 g of sugar from cane sugar, and to a lesser extent, apple juice and orange juice.

Poppi ingredients

Prebiotics:

• Cassava root fibre: a source of resistant starch. This is the primary prebiotic in Poppi.

• Agave inulin: present in only small amounts.

Sweeteners:

• Cane sugar: a sugar based sweetener made of sucrose.

• Stevia leaf extract: a natural non-caloric sweetener.

Flavourings:

• Apple cider vinegar (ACV): primarily added as a flavouring agent, but I suspect it’s been chosen over other ingredients to appeal to wellness-minded individuals. While ACV has been associated with supporting blood sugar levels and reducing appetite, the extent of these effects remains unclear.

• Apple and orange juice: added in a small amount, approximately 1 tablespoon per can, to sweeten the soda.

• Natural flavours: added to give each soda its unique flavour. You can check out my previous review of natural flavours here for details about how these ingredients are made.

• Citric acid: used as a flavour enhancer.

Colour:

• Beta carotene: used as a natural colour.

Olipop and Poppi Review

The main benefit of these beverages is that they provide a lower-sugar alternative to traditional soda. The ingredient lists are also relatively simple, primarily featuring functional ingredients like prebiotics and botanicals, along with flavour enhancers.

When it comes to the prebiotic component, both beverages primarily use cassava fibre, a type of resistant starch. While not technically a fibre, this starch is resistant to digestion, allowing it to offer many of the same benefits. Although there is less research supporting the benefits of cassava fibre compared to other prebiotic sources like inulin, early studies (such as this one and this one) suggest that cassava has the potential to positively impact the gut microbiome.

I will note that studying the effects of prebiotics is challenging because their benefits seem to depend on factors like the type of prebiotic, the dose, and the individual's gut bacterial composition. However, it is generally believed that consuming a variety of prebiotic sources in the diet is likely to better support a diverse microbiota and the associated health benefits.

Based on this, we can assume that adding more prebiotics to the diet is likely to have a positive effect.

It goes without saying that your overall dietary pattern—what you eat most of the time—has the greatest impact on your digestive health and risk for chronic disease. So while you don’t necessarily need prebiotics from soda, they do offer an added benefit compared to traditional sodas.

An exception to this is for individuals with IBS, sensitive digestion, or those who consume low amounts of fibre to begin with. Adding fibre to the diet, especially in a form that can be consumed quickly, such as a beverage, can cause digestive symptoms like gas, bloating, and cramping. These symptoms may be further aggravated by the fact that these beverages are carbonated, which alone can cause the same symptoms for some individuals.

Olipop vs. Poppi: is one better than the other?

Both Olipop and Poppi use similar ingredients to flavour and sweeten their sodas. While both beverages feature cassava fibre as their primary prebiotic source, Olipop also contains larger amounts of inulin. As a result, Olipop provides significantly more prebiotics per can than Poppi. However, since we typically get prebiotics from a fibre-rich diet, we don’t necessarily need large amounts from a can of soda. Additionally, if your digestion is sensitive, more isn't always better.

Lastly, Olipop contains additional botanicals that may offer further digestive health benefits, but evidence supporting the efficacy of these ingredients is limited. This doesn’t mean we should dismiss the potential benefits of herbal ingredients, but we also shouldn’t exaggerate their effects. Bottom line: Both beverages are good options, depending on your fibre tolerance and taste preferences.

*Additional sources¹

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Talk soon,

~Brittany

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“The Grocery Edit” is written by Brittany Raftis, MScFN, RD. She works as a Registered Dietitian and is passionate about helping people sort through the confusion of ingredients and nutrition facts to reduce stress surrounding daily food choices. She uses an evidence-based approach to clear up misinformation about nutrition and help people select the right products to support their health and enjoyment of food.

1. Additional sources: Holscher, H. D. (2017). Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota. Gut Microbes, 8(2), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2017.1290756; Slavin J. Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits. Nutrients. 2013; 5(4):1417-1435. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu5041417; Prebiotics in Beverages: From Health Impact to Preservation, Preservatives and Preservation Approaches in Beverages, Academic Press, 2019, Pages 339-373, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816685-7.00011-2; examine.com.