Understanding the Dangers to Daily Soda Consumption

Even though soda is one of the most popular drinks in our nation, its consumption is also linked to significant health risks even at the rate of one soda a day. Yet besides the common known issue of weight gain, many people don’t realize the spectrum of medical conditions soda causes. From heart disease to cancer, drinking this syrupy sugar-filled drink can seriously impact your health. Here are ten reasons why you should abstain from drinking soda in the future.

1. Weight Gain

It’s easy to see if you drink an excessive amount of extra calories a day, you’ll easily pack on the pounds. Yet people tend to overindulge in soda on a daily basis. Soda is high in calories, yet provides no nutritional value in our diets. Instead it often replaces the much-needed water our bodies crave in order to function properly while helping us gain unneeded weight.

2. Cavities

We were all taught as kids to avoid too much candy at the dentist, but we’re still consuming our sugar-packed colas on a daily basis. The sugar in sodas actually creates an acid by mixing with the bacteria in our mouth and for twenty minutes after we drink, the enamel protecting our teeth is bathed in this mixture. This can actually cause permanent enamel damage.

3. Early Onset Puberty

A study has recently linked early onset puberty in young girls with increased soda consumption. Girls drinking upwards of 1.5 sodas a day were more likely to menstruate early. Early menses is a known cause of adolescent depression as well as breast cancer in adults.

4. Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is also a possible side effect of soda consumption. The fructose in sodas causes increased uric acid levels within our bodies. This uric acid then serves to increase our blood pressure. Cutting back on soda intake can significantly lower systolic blood pressure—which reduces the risk of death after stroke as well as the risk of mortality due to heart disease.

5. Kidney Stones

The high sugar content in sodas may lead to kidney stone development. Since soda consumption often replaces water intake during the day, it can negatively impact our kidneys and hence create stones.

6. Gout

Two or more sodas a day significantly raise the risk of gout by over 85% due to the increased consumption of fructose. Fructose is a known cause of gout.

7. Type 2 Diabetes

Due to the sugar content in sodas, one or more cans a day can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes by 30%. Experts believe the spike in blood sugar due to the high fructose content in soda may be to blame.

8. Low Bone Density

Women who habitually drink cola sodas have been noted to have 4% less bone mineral density in their hips. This is possibly due to the fact that soda drinking has replaced milk as a daily beverage as well as the fact that the caffeine found in soda may interfere with calcium absorption.

9. Cancer

Recently, 4-methylimidazole—the chemical compound that gives colas their caramel coloring—has been noted as a potential carcinogen. In addition, two or more sodas a day may lead to increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

10. Heart Disease

Studies show that 12 ounces of soda a day can increase your risk of heart attack by approximately 20%. In daily drinkers, triglycerides are noted for increasing while their good cholesterol, or HDT, decreases.

After reviewing this list of health problems linked to soda consumption, it is apparent that your soda intake should be severely limited. Sodas should be considered the occasion syrupy sweet treat versus a common staple in your day to day diet.