Good reasons to skip Soda today:

Effects of Soft Drinks

Since their popularization and nationwide sales by the 1960s, soft drinks, or “soda”, “pop”, “cola”, consumption has become 25% of all sugar consumption and Americans now consume on average 500 bottles or cans per person per year¹. The United States, in fact, ranks first among all other countries for soft drink consumption with a per capita consumption of nearly 15 ounces a day². Shockingly, forty-percent of one to two year olds drink an average of 9 ounces of soft drinks per day¹. There is only company on the planet with its product in every country and that is Coca-Cola. These sugary drinks can literally be found anywhere on the planet. Despite recent commercials touting that high-fructose sugar is healthy and “all-natural” this does not mean that there are no harmful effects of consuming these popular drinks.

While soft drinks provide an enormous amount of sugar, caffeine, and empty calories, there are also other additives that prove harmful to your body. Research has linked soft drink consumption to tooth and bone decay (osteoporosis) as well as obesity and early onset of diabetes.

Obesity and diabetes

The typical 12 oz. serving has over 35 grams of sugar and nearly 150 calories. Do the math and the typical adult would lose around 21 pounds if they were to give up soft drinks. Calculate your own yearly calorie intake by using the following formula.

My Average Number of Soft Drinks Each Day is __________ cans (12 oz.)

Your number multiplied by 150, multiply that number by 365, and divide that by 3,500. The resulting number is the number of pounds (in fat) you’ll lose from quitting soda.

For example, the typical American has 500 cans a year, or 1.4 cans a day.

1.4 x 150 x 365 = 75,000 calories per year

75,000 divided by 3,500 equals over 21 pounds!

A simple switch from soft drinks to water could result in a 20 pound loss in weight!

As for early-onset of diabetes, it can be reasoned that soft drinks, due to their ability to spike one’s blood sugar, can “burn” out insulin receptors as the body flushes the blood stream with insulin after every drink. Chronic consumption of soft drinks will inevitably “burn out” these insulin receptors, producing the same effects of type-II diabetes.

How do soft drinks cause bone loss (or even osteoporosis)?

To Quote: "Soft drink consumption may be a major factor for osteoporosis as they are
high in phosphates but contain virtually no calcium. This leads to lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in the blood².” When phosphate levels are high and calcium levels are low, calcium is pulled out of your bones to balance things out. The effects of this are seen with tooth decay and osteoporosis^3,4. In fact, a study from the Harvard School of Public health noted that adolescent girls that consumed soft drinks had a fracture risk of 4.94 times higher than adolescent girls that did not consume soft drinks⁵.

What’s worse than soft drinks? Diet soda!

What?!? You mean that the low-calorie alternative is actually worse for you? Absolutely! In the 1980s, diet sodas began using aspartame, now marketed as NutraSweet, Equal and Spoonful, is found in most, if not all, diet sodas. Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The excess of any one of these is harmful to the human body and nervous system. Methanol alone breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body and it was during Desert Storm in the early 1990s that formaldehyde poisoning was attributed to diet soft drinks to the soldiers. Even today, aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. In fact, many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

In addition, researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame have reported that the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame: Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.

Conclusion:

Water is clearly the best choice for a drink. However, if you must, choose regular soft drinks over diet alternative. Moderation is key for any food or drink and educate yourself on your food choices.

References:

1. www.bellybytes.com
2. Michael Murray ND and Joseph Pizzorno ND. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised Second Edition. Seen on: www.westonprice.org/modernfood/soft.com
3. http://osteoporosis-disease.blogspot.com/2008/07/caffeine-sugar-and-bone-loss.html
4. http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/20/4/271
5. Wyshak G: Teenaged girls, carbonated beverage consumption, and bone fractures. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 154: 610–613, 2000.
6. http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/cocacola021605.cfm
7. http://www.naturalnews.com/bone_loss.html
8. www.mercola.com
9. www.sweetpoison.com