Soft drinks are fun, right? How tempting would it be if you are thirsty and you have a soft drink bottle right before you? While moderate consumption isn’t dangerous, drinking it in excess can create serious health issues. Here are some of the harmful effects of soft drinks that you should definitely be aware of.
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#1 They do not fill your stomach but give you a quick weight gain
As a result of their high sugar content, soft drinks are also known as cool drinks, soda, pop, fizzy pop, soda pop, cold drinks, and sugary drinks. They are trendy, tasty, and sometimes addictive.
Sugar and gas in soft drinks contribute to weight gain a lot while other ingredients also play a role. Sugar causes weight gain is a fact. That happens more quickly when you consume it in a liquid form.
There are studies that show that people who consume soft drinks with their regular diet consume 22% more calories. Another study by the Obesity Society says that children consuming soft drinks are linked to a 60% increase in obesity. Soft drinks don’t fill you up like solid food so limiting their consumption makes sense.
#2 May cause insulin resistance
Insulin keeps you active throughout the day. Soft drinks have an effect on how your food is converted into energy. Insulin transports glucose to the cells, but soft drinks reduce the ability of the cells to respond to insulin. When this happens, your pancreas tends to produce more amount of insulin. So, there is a high amount of insulin in your blood. This reaction is known as insulin resistance, and a study by the Journal of Nutrition proves that.
The more soft drinks consumed, the more insulin produced. This leads to a change in reaction in the whole body. It might end up in other hormonal imbalances also.
#3 Increases risk of diabetes and other disorders
The prevalence of diabetes has increased globally. Cold drinks are a major contributor. A person with insulin resistance will most likely develop diabetes in the worst-case scenario.
A study by the Journal of the Endocrine Society shows that five in ten people who consume one can of soft drink per day be affected by type 2 diabetes. This occurs when the pancreas cannot handle the body’s demand for insulin. Having sugary drinks every day could cause children to develop diabetes. Diabetes may result in a child becoming insulin-dependent. Make sure your children drink them in moderation.
#4 Puts you at risk of heart disease
Many diseases and disorders caused by soft drink consumption, including diabetes, obesity, and insulin resistance, are reversible or can be controlled to a degree. But these cold drinks do not just stop with that. They affect your heart and cause cardiovascular diseases. People who consume soft drinks regularly have a 35% chance of getting a heart attack.
Soft drinks are not at all healthy. Instead of providing our bodies with fiber, minerals, and vitamins, they provide our bodies with extra sugar and unnecessary calories. Too much sugar from unhealthy sources makes it more difficult for your body to obtain healthy foods. This is where your lipids are out of balance causing heart problems.
#5 Causes Cavity and teeth erosion
A soft drink’s acid content is enough to dissolve the dental layer. The sugar present becomes an acid when it meets the bacteria in your mouth. This acid causes the tooth cavity and erosion which ultimately, weakens the teeth. Children are the most affected ones in this case.
If you think, diet drink does not harm your teeth; the answer is no. Diet drinks are as damaging to your teeth as normal soft drinks. Aside from sugar, soda drinks contain citric acid and phosphoric acid as preservatives. Therefore, it is better to brush your teeth or gargle after drinking soft drinks.
#6 Leads to Osteoporosis
How healthy do you think your bones are? Your bones won’t be healthy if you drink soft drinks regularly. Soft drinks have tangy flavors because of phosphoric acid. Bacteria and microorganisms thrive in sugar-rich environments, especially in our bodies. It affects the calcium’s existence and absorbs minerals in our body, which will lead to low bone mineral density, causing osteoporosis. Possibly, smaller bones, less physical activity, and hormonal changes put people more at risk.
#7 Packaging may lead to cancer
There are different reasons why cancer develops. A soft drink has a variety of reasons for causing the same illness. First of all, the containers matter. Packaging for soft drinks is layered with bisphenol A (BPA) and carcinogens. It is well known that they disrupt hormones. Additionally, they raise blood pressure significantly. The colored drinks react to form benzene, which is another carcinogen. They damage bone marrow cells and cause blood cancer.
#8 Can cause sleep disturbances
Caffeine is present in soft drinks you consume. It is okay to have them when you must stay awake. Soft drinks, however, will disrupt your sleep cycle if you consume them regularly. Indeed, it has chances of ending up in insomnia and nightmares. A caffeine-induced rise in adrenaline prevents you from getting to sleep. Sleep and digestion are interrupted, causing a series of problems.
#9 It dehydrates you more
Caffeine is a diuretic that increases your urination frequency, resulting in more urine production. The result will be fatigue and feeling unwell. A dehydrated body is not able to absorb many nutrients. As a result, the body has a harder time eliminating proper waste.
#10 Affects Blood Supply
Soft drinks, as mentioned earlier, don’t contribute to a healthy body. It affects every part of your body, including the blood. Its overconsumption ruptures blood vessels when consumed. They play a major role in blood circulation and the supply of blood to the brain. Soft drinks either damage or freeze these blood vessels so the blood supply is also blocked. A stroke and a reduction in hemoglobin result from this. Lastly, the blood supply is damaged.
#11 Works as a slow poison
A six-liter soft drink intake per day could kill you. It contains nothing other than excessive sugar, sweetener, added colors, and preservatives. A single issue leads to a series of issues. The soft drinks in question are used effectively to clean toilets all over the world. That’s how strong they are.
Drinking a cold drink is the sweetest slow poison that makes a person feel joyous. Frequently, they are promoted and consumed incorrectly. While they can be consumed once in a while, it is not a good idea to be tempted regularly.
Effective ways to help you stop Soft Drinks Craving
Don’t wait until it’s too late to quit your soft drink addiction. It is never too late to break a bad habit. To help you kick the habit, here are some tips:
- Reduce the intake gradually. Self-control and patience are essential in this process. When you think about consuming soft drinks, you have to run a long way to distract yourself.
- Look at the drink’s label, know the contents, and its effects on your health. You’ll be more cautious when you realize what you put into your body. By doing this, you would start putting your health and wellness on the back burner.
- Know why you crave soft drinks. It might be the sweet taste, for some of it might be a fizzy flavor. Find out the reason and the alternatives.
- Replace soft drinks with something tastier and healthier at the same time to keep yourself from missing the soft drinks.
- Add more lemon to your diet. Lemons are great for reducing cravings. So, add lemon to your diet. Try drinking water with a little bit of lemon in it. This also has a positive effect on your health.
We live in a world where we must consume everything with a full understanding of what it is, what it contains, and how it will affect our bodies. After knowing the facts, we should not consume something that affects our health and has an even greater impact. The effects of soft drinks on health are dangerous. If you indulge in soft drinks, reduce your consumption gradually. There are many healthy beverages around the world that are tastier and healthier.
