It's no secret that soda isn't great for your overall health. After all, the first ingredient after carbonated water is sugar. But sometimes, you're just in the mood to sip on something that's both fizzy and sweet. And while that's fine, can we interest you in choosing a low-sugar soda alternative, instead?
Even if you're not a regular soda drinker, you may think the occasional splurge is harmless. But the combination of sugar, chemicals, and carbonation required to make your favorite carbonated beverage can wreak havoc on more than just your waistline. Here is what happens to your brain when you drink soda.
1. You Could Gain 15 Pounds of Fat.
One of the most obvious side effects of drinking soda is the risk of weight gain, thanks to the influx of calories and sugar. A 12-ounce can of soda contains around 150 calories and up to 40 grams of sugar. Drinking one a day means ingesting more than 130,000 extra calories a year. But it's more than just the extra calories per soft drink that are packing on the pounds. A study found that drinks containing high fructose corn syrup are linked to obesity. Fructose is absorbed in the body differently than other sugars, the study assesses, which affects insulin levels and metabolism, and can lead to weight gain.
2 .Even Diet Soda Causes Weight Gain. And it's not just the full-calorie options; diet soda can also cause people to pack on the pounds, according to study . The study showed that over nine years, people who drank diet soda gained almost three times as much belly fat as those who didn't drink diet soda. Researchers have theorized that the consumption of artificial sweeteners leads to more sugar cravings, and therefore causes people to eat more calories than they normally would.
3. Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Increases.
Drinking soda causes your blood sugar to spike, and it sends your pancreas into overdrive producing insulin to metabolize all that sugar. A study found that consuming sugar sweetened beverages, like soda, was linked to the onset of type 2 diabetes. And this correlation was independent of obesity's impact on developing type 2 diabetes.
4. As Does Your Risk of Pre-Diabetes. It makes sense, but it's worth noting: drinking sugar-sweetened beverages will increase your risk of diabetes as well as your risk of prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but are not at the levels found in diabetics.
5. It Could Affect Your Chances of Getting Pregnant. Men's fertility isn't the only thing that can be disrupted by soda consumption. According to study , consuming just one or more sugar-sweetened beverage a day by either a man or woman is associated with a decreased chance of getting pregnant. Specifically, women who consumed at least one soda per day had 25% lower fecundability while men who drank the same amount showed a 33% lower fecundability.
6. Your Kidneys May Not Function As Well. Soda has been linked to poor kidney function according to study . Researchers studied 8,000 participants who all had normal kidney function at the beginning of the study, split into one group who drank no soda, one who had one a day, and another who had two a day. Not surprisingly, the group who drank two sodas a day had a much higher chance of developing proteinuria, a condition in which protein isn't properly filtered by the kidneys and a sign of chronic kidney disease. Scary stuff.
7. You Might Have a Heart Attack. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in adults . Although people typically associate poor heart health with poor lifestyle habits like smoking and not working out, drinking soda should also be on the top of that list. Having one 12-ounce soda a day raises your risk of a heart attack by 20%, according to a study. The researchers found the correlation to be independent of obesity and weight gain alone, and believe soda's inflammatory properties play a role. Sugary beverages have also been linked to higher levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL, or good cholesterol, which all lead to poor heart function.
8.Your Teeth May Rot.
No surprise here: All of the sugar consumed by drinking soda is horrible for your pearly whites. Couple that with the acidity of carbonated beverages that destroy tooth enamel, and you have a dentist's nightmare. Soda leeches calcium from your teeth and leads to dental erosion, according to study Aside from severe tooth decay, darker colored sodas like colas can also stain the surface of your teeth. That's nothing to smile about.
9. You Might Get Asthma. Sugar sweetened beverages can also lead to the onset of asthma, according to study. Researchers found that high levels of soft drink consumption were associated with an increased risk of asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder .So take a deep breath and put down the soft drink.
10. Your Bones May Become More Brittle. Even though your bones naturally become more brittle as you age, drinking soda can exacerbate this problem. Certain soft drinks make your bones weaker, according to study The study found that women who drank cola and diet cola daily had lower bone density in their hips. Although the study didn't find a correlation between non cola carbonated beverages and bone density, it did note a lower calcium to phosphorus ratio. So laying off the soda is important for staying strong in old age.
Content created and supplied by: Consy (via Opera News )
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