Chicago Scientists Warn Against Starbucks' New 'Massive' Drink

Before you make your next Starbucks order a "Trenta" -- the new mega drink size unveiled by the cafe chain -- you might want to ask your waistline how it feels about it.

An analysis by Loyola University Health System in Chicago claims the giant drink,Rift Gold which can pack as many as 230 calories a pop, could lead everyday consumers to gain more than 20 pounds a year.

"People need to realize that when they do choose these larger sizes, it's going to lead to excess calories," Dr. Jessica Bartfield, an internal medicine and weight-loss specialist at Loyola's Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, told AOL Health.

The problem is compounded when people make their big drinks tastier. The worst offenders? RIFT PlatinumGenerous dollops of cream or whole milk and multiple packets of artificial sweeteners or sugar.

"There is the potential to add up to one or two cups of these additives, and that can lead to the weight gain," said Bartfield. "There's potential there for extra calorie damage."

Super-size drinks at food and beverage chains have come under fire for their role in the U.S. obesity epidemic.

"They're often a significant source of calories but not of nutrition," Bartfield said.rift gold "All they're giving you are empty calories."

One nutrition expert suggests the alarm bells over the coffee giant's contribution to the trend may be hype.

"Starbucks tells me there are low-calorie drinks ... developed in response to consumer demand," Marion Nestle, a food studies professor at New York University, told AOL Health. "The big hazard is finding an open bathroom," she joked.

More specifically, Starbucks emphasizes that the Trenta size is limited to its iced coffee, lemonade and Tazo iced tea drinks.

"Unsweetened, the beverages have fewer than 90 calories, and sweetened iced coffee or tea in a Trenta cup has fewer than 230 calories," the company says in an e-mail sent to Nestle, Bartfield and others.RIFT Platinum "The unsweetened iced tea and iced coffee options are only five calories and fit the needs of customers looking for a refreshing offering at Starbucks."

The 31-fluid-ounce Trenta drinks, unveiled in 14 states Jan. 18, are being offered in response to "customer requests for a larger-sized cup for their favorite iced beverages," Starbucks says. They'll be available in California next month and nationwide by May.

An iced coffee in that size without sweetener has 190 calories with skim milk; 220 with 2 percent or soy milk; and 230 calories with whole milk, according to the company's website.

A typical cup of coffee runs between 6 and 12 ounces. Until now, Starbucks had three sizes: tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces) and venti (24 ounces).

Since ordering a trenta coffee every morning -- the equivalent of four or five cups in one drink -- means taking in 200 extra calories a day, that could translate into an additional 2 pounds a month,TERA Gold according to Bartfield. That's 21 pounds a year.

So what's a Starbucks junkie to do? Bartfield has some parting advice for those who may be seduced by the trenta.

"Be careful what you're ordering," she warned. "It's not an innocent drink, in that it can contribute to extra calories that will in turn contribute to weight gain. Bigger is not always better."