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Ten reasons not to drink soft drinks
By Quality Health.com
September 24, 2009
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Interesting information about soft drinks…I found this information on the Quality Health .com… This is a great web site to explore and learn about health concerns…
Updated: April 9, 2009
Copyright © 2009 QualityHealth.com. All rights reserved.
Whether you call it soda, pop, Coke, or a soft drink, one thing is standard: it's not good for you. Even so, Americans, on average, drink more than 43 gallons of the stuff each year. That's over 5,500 empty calories a year. No wonder that drinking soda is connected with weight gain. And that's just the beginning. Here, 10 reasons to stop drinking soda
1. It packs on the pounds.
According to a 2005 study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center, drinking one to two cans of soda a day increases a person's risk of being overweight or obese by 32.8 percent. And if you think diet soda is a better option, think again: The researchers found that those who drank one to two cans of diet soda per day were at an even higher risk (54.5 percent) of being overweight or obese.
2. It puts you at risk for diabetes and heart disease.
A 2007 study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation found that people who drink soda every day, whether regular or diet, were 44 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome-a condition that greatly increases your risk for heart disease and diabetes.
3. It doesn't contain any nutrients.
A 20-ounce bottle of cola contains nearly 250 calories, but take a look at the label, and you'll see that it has virtually no vitamins or minerals. In fact, the only things soda is packed with are sugar and caffeine-two ingredients for which FDA has no recommended daily allowance.
4. You'll still feel thirsty.
When it comes to quenching your thirst, water is the gold standard, but herbal tea and fruit juice are also good options. Soda, on the other hand, is likely to make you thirstier because caffeine is a diuretic and sugar interferes with the body's absorption of fluids.
5. It may cause digestion difficulties.
Soda's effects on digestion are a source of ongoing debate, but some experts believe the phosphoric acid these beverages contain may disturb the acid-alkaline balance of the stomach. As a result, they believe, soda drinkers may develop digestional distress, acid reflux, stomach inflammation, and intestinal erosion.
6. It's addictive.
A 2000 study published in the Archives of Family Medicine revealed that soft-drink manufacturers add caffeine to soda for one reason only: to get consumers hooked. Although this type of addiction may seem benign, experts are quick to point out that caffeine is a stimulant, and once you're addicted, going cold turkey can create withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, depression, irritability, tremors, sleep deprivation, and headaches.
7. It's bad for the environment.
Believe it or not, many people still don't recycle their bottles and cans. In fact, it's estimated that some 50 billion aluminum cans and plastic bottles from soft drinks get thrown into landfills every year. Even if you recycle, the containers are still energy-intensive to mine, produce, and recycle.
8. It's harmful to your teeth and bones.
According to a recent Tufts University study, women who drank three 12-ounce colas a day had 5 percent less bone density than women who drink less than a serving a day. As the researchers explained, the phosphoric acid in cola prevents calcium from being absorbed by the body. Not surprisingly, soda is also damaging for teeth: A 2006 study, published in General Dentistry, reported that the citric and/or phosphoric acid in soft drinks can be harmful and corrosive to a healthy smile.
9. It might increase your risk of cancer.
Although still controversial, some scientists believe that soda can increase your cancer risk. A 2006 study from Sweden's Karolinska Institute supports the theory: Study subjects who drank high quantities of fizzy or syrup-based soft drinks twice a day or more ran a 90 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those who never drank them.
10. It's expensive.
Compared to fruit juice or milk, soft drinks may seem cheap, but when you consider the lack of nutritional value, soda seems like a rip-off. And keep in mind that the costs of soda can quickly add up. The average 12-ounce can of soda costs about $1 from the vending machine, so if you drank two a day for a year, you'd spend a whopping $730 on pop every year.
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Comments (27 comments)
Add your commentI stopped drink all soda Dec 2010. I don't regret it for a minute. It is like having some sugar with your chemicals.
I find water is best for me. Juice has a lot of sugar too. When I dip too low I eat one or two of those kind of awful raspberry flavored tablets that the dr. rx'ed for me. With the rx, medicare part b paid for them.
Fruit juices have just the same amount or sometimes even more sugar than 12 ounces of regular soda. That's why when ever I go into a low blood sugar and am taking to the ER, they're always trying to force feed me the juice, to get my sugar up. I've even had a paramedic say to my fiance' give her apple juice. Apple juice alone, has more sugar than a can of Coke. So what's this bull crap about how juice has LESS sugar than a 12oz can of soda? Whoever wrote this article should recheck his/her facts. Cause where ever they found them, they were fed a bunch of bogus untruths.
Haven't had a soda since April, I basically just drink water now.
Twenty five years ago, I was watching television and the very funny Richard Simmons, a great advocate for women trying to lose weight. My hat off to him. Yes he is funny, but so what. Look what he has
done for thousands of women seeking help. My hat is off to him.
I am writing because Mr. Simmons once mentioned on T.V. that any
carbonated drink can be a hazard to anyone trying to lose weight.
From that moment, I stopped drinking coke, and started drinking
crystal light. No sugar, no fat, no anything. And…no carbonation.
I thought I would share this with you who drink carbonated drinks.
Stop it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! do you health a favor. Try really hard. You will
thank me, and I will thank Richard Simmons…LOL. Charles.
THEIR ARE OTHER DRINKS THAT YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME AND IT TASTE GOOD TOO. HAVE YOUR EVER TRIED CRYSTAL LIGHT MAKES ONE PACKET MAKES 1QT; LEMONADE AND THE OTHER MAKES 2QTS AND ITS ICE TEA FLAVOR. THE ONE QT IS GOOD FOR A ONE SIZE QT WATER BOTTLE.IT TASTE GREAT AND BETTER WITH ICE…TRY THE CRYSTAL LIGHT AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKE IT
Boy am I glad to read this. I am off all soft drinks. Water will be my main stay.
I DRINK PLENTY OF WATER,IT'S CHEAP AND IT SATISFY MY THIRST,I DRINK GREEN TEA WHICH IS VERY REFRESHING.
I like green tea compared to colas but will drink Sprite Zero from time to time.
Someone else is getting my part of it. I don't drink the stuff very often. I like diet ginger ale from time to time or a Sprite Zero but that's about it. I prefer water to almost everything else.
I know pop especially diet pop is not good for a person but I do not give it up. I am proud of you Karenmelinda and dubyadd. Wish I had that determination and resolve.
Who buys soda from a vending machine 7 days a week? Get a life. They also have have water and juice in there to. I can't recall the last time I bought anything from a vending machine. You will pay a lot for the convenience. I always carry ice water with me even on short trips. I also have extra water in small bottles and juice in small cans, plus some trail mix, cheese and crackers packs and granola bars. (It may not be healthy but its for emergency uses, not regular consumption). All kept in a small cooler in the trunk. Comes in handy if you get struck in one of these massive So Calif. traffics jams which are all too frequent now a days
Having just been treated (2 surgeries and Chemotherapy) last year, I found out that cancer thrives most in an acid enviroment and dies in a alkiline enviroment. I gave up even diet sodas and we bought a water ionizer to make 9.5 alkiline water. Now we mostly drink water or Chrystal Lite drink mix. Not hard at all.
I have drank sody all my life and now have diabetes Wish I had seen this before I drank all that soda( 1-2 litters per day)
I drank diet soda for years. I gave it up after bone surgery.
My surgeon said it could be affecting my nerve response
and healing.
I'm one of the addicted ones and believe me, it's nearly as hard to quit as smoking!
I guess that every article that has something to say as a health concern is always benificial. But I believe if anything is taken is small amounts or moderation is only relitive if weight or diabetes is a concern, and where care givers understand. I guess it would be soda or pop or whatever is valid, I feel the enormous amounts of sodium found most of the foods we consume has just as much or more concern especially with weight and heart issues.
Yep. Soda is one of the most wasteful items we consume. Now that I rarely drink them, I have no idea why I liked them so much
It is so hard to get people to stop. (anything) I stopped over 10 years ago, can't even tell you why. After taste?
I have a dear neighbor who is diabetic like me,. in his late 70's when his blood sugars drop he drinks a coke the dang bottle .. I have to tried to tell him how bad that is.. to instead drink orange juice and give it 10 to 20 min to kick in. Even hard candy . He says this works, if it was once in awhile ok but his BS are all over the place, even after I came back from ther kidney Doc ( with good tests results.) I get so upset with him because he is educated, open to new things but being a big jerk with this. ( thanks for letting me rage) going toprint this out and put it on his door.
I have had trouble with weight lately but its not because of sodas. I would have had more trouble if I had not stopped. I lost 10 lbs. I agree with everything this article says but you also have to be careful with fruit drinks with 37 grams of sugar in an 8 oz serving! The new Gatorade and Publix Teas I think are excellent alternatives.