Drinking too much soda can cause an array of negative effects in your body, even if you drink diet soda. Carbonated soda drinks do not contain any beneficial nutrients, but typically contribute excessive calories and sugar to your diet. Start swapping out one soda per day for a bottle of water.
Health Reasons to Stop Drinking Soda
Here are just a few of the scientifically researched reasons to kick the habit. Soda increases your blood pressure. Soda destroys your teeth.
In case your dentist hadn’t told you, between the sugar and the acidity, pop is terrible for your teeth.
It contains an ingredient banned in over 100 countries. It makes you fat.
Calories from drinks including soda make up over 20% of the total daily calories consumed by Americans, according to a 2004 article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
It may lead to diabetes.
Non-diet soft drinks contribute to the onset of type 2 diabetes. Even if you drink diet, you may not be in the clear (see the study published by the American Heart Association discussed below).
It may lead to heart disease.
According to a study published by the American Heart Association, “Drinking as little as one can of soda a day — regular or diet — is associated with a 48% increased risk of metabolic syndrome, a key predecessor of heart disease and diabetes.” Soda consumption is linked to osteoporosis. While researchers aren’t sure of the precise reason, people who drink pop are more likely to have osteoporosis. Drinking cola can increase your risk of kidney stones.
A study published in Epidemiology found that “Drinking 2 or more colas per day was associated with increased risk of chronic kidney disease. Soda can cause heartburn. It shouldn’t surprise you that highly acidic sodas can lead to heartburn. It’s linked with liver problems.
A study found that people with liver problems are also more likely to drink soda.
The right of the bat lets looks at what havoc they cause to your system as soon as you drink them. The sugar pretty much instantly hits your bloodstream. This creates a sudden spike in blood sugar which must counter by a sudden spike in insulin. Instead of the sugar being burned as energy, the rush of insulin causes it to be converted quickly to fat. The sudden conversion of sugar to fat creates a sudden drop in blood sugar. The brain doesn’t like sudden sugar drops and signals the body to be hungry and crave of all things.
It gets worse. These up and down cycles wreak havoc on your body chemistry and lead to insulin resistance which leads to a number of health issues. Also, it wears out your body’s ability to regulate its sugar levels. Can we say “diabetes”?
It gets worse. High Fructose is used in most soft drinks. The body doesn’t deal with this well, so it sends it to the liver to convert it into glucose. This taxes the liver. The glucose then gets converted into fat by insulin. This often happens in the liver thus creating fat build up in the liver. Not Good.
It gets worse. Fat doesn’t always end up in your thighs and hips. No, it likes to circulate through your bloodstream. If it gets built up, you have another problem.
Depends on what type of soda you drink and if you want to replace soda with water, you can make sure to drink non caffeinated zero calorie options to help with hydration.
In general, any liquid with the absence of caffeine can satisfy your water intake but do make sure to also go for the zero calorie versions so you don’t take in too many excess calories from drinks and cause weight issues.
I recommend sprite zero or caffeine free coke zero if you want to drink soda only as your liquid intake and if you also eat a balanced solid diet otherwise, then you should be fine but do also watch out for your teeth and make sure you rinse with mouthwash often to prevent teeth issues.
If drinking soda has become a part of your daily routine, you should know about these six health risks:
Obesity – Over the years as consumption of soda has increased, so has the rise in obesity. Studies show that approximately one in four Americans gets at least 200 calories a day from soda. Surprisingly, 41% of children ages 2 to 11 drink at least one soda or surgery drink per day.
Vitamin Deficiency – When carbonated drinks were first invented, they were believed to be healthy, but lab studies have shown carbonated drinks contain phosphoric acid, which can deplete calcium. Soda has also been known to affect vitamin D absorption. Carbonated drinks can be associated with weakening of bones, osteoporosis, as well as hypertension.
Chronic Health Diseases – According to the US Framingham Heart Study, drinking one can of soda has not only been linked to obesity but also an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, impaired sugar levels, increased waist size, high blood pressure and higher cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk of heart attack. Further, the US Nurses Health Study II revealed that women who consumed one or more soft drinks per day had an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
