Can’t seem to truly digest your food without some fizzy drinks in your system? It can seem harmless to consume soda with every meal – but the negative effects might be too great to ignore. So how bad is soda for your health?
Reproductive Issues
Soft drink cans are coated with a resin that contains BPA. This is the same cancer causing chemical found in plastic baby bottles, water bottles, and plastic containers that wreaks havoc on the endocrine system, potentially causing premature puberty and reproductive abnormalities.
Obesity
The relationship between soft drink consumption and body weight is so strong that researchers calculate that for each additional soda consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times.
Increased Risk of Diabetes
Those who drink more soda have an 80% increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Approximately 1 in 10 health care dollars is spent on diabetes.
Osteoporosis
Soft drinks contain phosphoric acid. A high phosphate diet has been associated with bone breakdown and an increased risk of osteoporosis. When phosphorus is excreted in the urine, it takes calcium with it, depriving the bones and the rest of the body of this important mineral.
Sugar Overload
Twenty minutes after drinking a soda, your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar into fat. Forty minutes later, caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises; as a response, your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked, preventing drowsiness. Forty-five minutes later, your body ups your dopamine production, stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is precisely the same way heroin works in your body, by the way.
Dissolves Tooth Enamel
Sugar and acid, which is prevalent in soft drinks, is a nasty, two-punch combination that dissolves tooth enamel. Many dentist chairs around the world have been filled with soda-drinking mouths, don’t make yours one of them! Enamel is an important protective shield for your teeth.
So, what if you drank two liters of soda every day? Well, one woman did just that for sixteen years straight until she was hospitalized at age 31. With no family history of heart problems, she suffered from arrhythmia. And fainting spells and tests found her severely deficient in potassium as both fructose and caffeine can lead to potassium loss through urine and diarrhea. Luckily our bodies have an amazing ability to recover and once she quit, her potassium levels and other complications began to rebound.
The pandemic has made us re-evaluate our lifestyles and health – a huge proponent of that is our diet. Eat healthy, be healthy. And remember – you are what you eat.