What is your drink of choice? This is becoming more and more of a vital question especially as it relates to your health. Some choose water alone, though this is becoming less and less frequent. Other choices are fruit juices, cool-aid, soda’s, milk, energy drinks, and others. However, it has become increasingly concerning the amount of consumption of sodas are being seen and their affects on our health.
Depending on where you look, on average, Americans drink over 250 to 500 sodas per year. And some are drinking far more than this. Many people though, on average, drink a soda a day. Usually you tend to be either a heavy drinker of soda or a light one. But, the real problem is that drink a soda a day may considerably affect your health.
Soda is a broad term, most people look at them as having caffeine or not. But really, soda is a high-fructose drink that includes kids drinks, diet drinks, and regular soda.
First and foremost, drinking soda will increase your weight. Attempts at diet sodas may help avoid the increasing weight, but the concern of cardiac concerns is still present. Weight gain can cause cardiac, diabetes, liver, lipid, and several other issues.
There is a substantial risk for cardiac issues with both diet and regular sodas. This has been seen in both men and women. They are pushing it so far to add Soda as a single risk factor for cardiac diseases.
The risk has been calculated at a 20% risk. This is a significant number when looking at risk factors.
What is Soda?
Is a non-alcoholic beverage that contains water, a sweetener, and a flavoring agent. Others describe it as a high-fructose drink. But other options are sugar or sugar substitutes.
A soda may contain caffeine or fruit juices but not all fruit juices are sodas.
They are also called Soft drinks [Soft] in contrast to alcoholic beverages. The fizzle of many sodas deals with the action of carbonation of the soda.
Energy drinks to classify as sodas, but for advertising purpose, it appears that they will stay under the category of Energy drinks
Health Affects of Soda
1.) Increased Risk for Diabetes
– As mentioned before, increased weight can lead to diabetes
– Sugar is largely what is affected in diabetes
2.) Dental cavities
– Having sugar more often sitting in your mouth will lead to dental infections
– Sugar sweetened, high fructose drinks, and many other drinks cause a weakening of the enamel in the mouth
– Bacteria then feed on the sugar and cause dental cavities
– Using a straw or brushing teeth directly after drinking pay prevent some of the affects of soda
3.) Lower Nutrient levels
– It has been suggested that low potassium may occur with extreme drinking of sodas
– Bone density due to calcium lost, phosphoric acid may lead to a weakening of bones in both young adolescents, adults, and elderly associated with soda drink.
Soda in Schools
Debates began years ago, especially in high school and junior highs, where students wanted soda while parents and local governments pushed against it. Vending machines inside school areas are at the center of debate. It is much more likely for students to drink soda, the easier it is accessible. Parents, who don’t allow soda in the home, are finding that students are easily getting them at schools.
It may seem like a dumb argument, but many argue that schools spend thousands of dollars to bring forth a well nutritional lunch, then lose that to sodas. It is believed that the schools have been given this charge from the government and even from parents.
I personally love to drink sodas. It is one of my serious weakness. I love them when I need to work, stay awake, and especially when I am sick. The recommendations coming from this new information is to keep this in mind. Limit sodas to once every other day or every third and your risk will drop substantially. Many people completely avoid soda and they are probably better off for it. But, for the rest of us, we need keep the health risk factors in our minds and limit our consumption. If we do this, we will be far better off.
