Devin Raimo, a content creator with over 200,000 followers on Tiktok, says he's been drinking Poppi's prebiotic soda for over 1 year. Labeled as a "better" beverage for you, Poppi claims to support a healthy gut with less than 5 grams of prebiotics, apple cider vinegar and sugar.

Raimo bought the brand's cheeky marketing and, frankly, delicious taste when he came across her social media feed - and she's hardly alone. Poppi boasts a number of influential clients, including Kylie Jenner, Alix Earle and Olivia Munn. Even without celebrity endorsements, it's one of the fastest growing non-alcoholic beverages in the United States.Millions of fans of Poppi helped it swallow 19 percent of the market share - 1.5 times that of cola.

That's why it was so surprising for Limo when her page for you fed her lemon lime and orange cream flavor review and instead stopped a two-minute crash course in Poppi's lawsuit.

Earlier this week, Poppi was hit with a class5 million class action lawsuit alleging that soda alternatives mislead consumers in marketing aimed at boosting gut health. "Poppi soda contains only 2 grams of prebiotic fiber, but its amount is too low to provide meaningful intestinal health benefits to consumers," the legal document states. "Therefore, consumers need to drink 1 or more Poppi soda in 4 days to realize the potential health benefits from prebiotic fiber."That amount is not just foam, but also corresponds to a fairly high level of sugarcane consumption.

Poppi fan base usually wears branded pink sweatsuits online, and most, like Raimo, continue to support healthy sodas on how lawsuits affect soda drinking habits. For her, it was not about gut health. "I used to drink more of them for taste in the first place," she tells me. But while the brand faces legal scrutiny, others are rightly confused about what their Poppi consumption means for their gut health.

To clear up the confusion, I'll break down exactly what you need to know about the lawsuit (including Poppi's response) and what it means for your gut microbes.

This lawsuit filed in a California court last week is considered a class action consumer fraud case. I will spare you a 24-page document and give you a spark note. While acknowledging that part of Poppi's appeal is great taste and cheeky marketing, the suit claims the brand's "gut makes you happy." Make the intestines healthy."The prebiotic fiber slogan and promise — a type of dietary fiber that helps promote beneficial bacteria in the gut - is misleading about the health benefits of the product."

According to Yana Delkhah, a board-certified emergency medical physician and integrative and functional medical practitioner at Apa Aesthetics and Clinique de Champs, the lawsuit has a foot to stand from a health perspective. Providing just two grams of prebiotic fiber per can, she said you'll be sick from a healthy digestive tract, enhanced immune function, or Poppi consumption alone

"1 gram of prebiotic fiber per can is very low compared to the recommended 1-day intake of dietary fiber, about 51 grams in women and 25 grams in men." It's 38 grams, 21 grams for women and 30 grams for men," she says. "While 2 grams may contribute to overall fiber intake, it's not enough to create significant intestinal health benefits," said Dr. David Koch, an associate professor of Microbiology at the University of California, San Diego.

Marie Claire reached out to Poppi for comment on the lawsuit. Representatives of the brand shared the following statement:

"We are proud of the Poppi brand and stand behind our products. We are on a mission to revolutionize soda for the next generation of soda drinkers, and have diligently innovated to provide a tasting experience that millions of people have come to enjoy. We believe the lawsuit is unfounded and we will actively defend against these claims.

According to Dr. Delkhah, don't expect Poppi to actually affect your gut health, or general health. "Drinking 1 can of poppi in 4 days to achieve beneficial levels of prebiotic fiber is impractical and can lead to excessive sugar consumption," she explains.

"Each can of poppi contains about 5 grams of sugar, so if you consume 4 cans, you will consume 20 grams of sugar.This is close to or exceeds the American Heart Association's recommended 1-day limit," the expert adds. This high sugar intake negates the potential benefits from prebiotic fiber, which leads to health problems such as weight gain, insulin resistance and other metabolic problems.

Just because Poppi is said to not help the gut in just 1 can, doesn't mean it's bad for you. "There doesn't seem to be any direct harm in continuing to consume it occasionally," says Dr. Delkhah.

Still, it's soda, so don't expect it to offer the same nutritional benefits as a salad. "This is a great alternative for people who are addicted to soda, diet or regular, to help with something similar but less negative impact."In short, moderation is the key.

Poppi added sugar, but it's still a better alternative to other sodas. "It does not seem to contain aspartame (a carcinogenic ingredient found in most sodas), has a low sugar content and contains prebiotic fiber," Delkhah said."But it is not a health drink and should not be relied upon as a primary source of prebiotic fiber or overall gut health."

Poppi is still soda. Like everything with the addition of sugar, it is best in moderation. However, it is better than ordinary soda. In addition to a healthy diet and consuming enough water, drinking 1 can in 1 day should not do harm.

Not so much. Of the 13 flavors of Docpop and Classic Cola, only 2 contain caffeine. In them, the caffeine content is naturally extracted from green tea and tapped at 32mg. For context, a can of coke contains 34 mg.

Marie Claire will update this post when the results of Poppi's lawsuit are announced.