Sweet Soda: 4 Negative Health Effects

Sweet soda: 4 negative health effects

Consumption of sugary carbonated drinks is declining, giving way to regular bottled water. However, soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks are still popular, especially in younger age groups. Researchers are concerned about this fact and urge attention to the main health risks associated with the consumption of such drinks.

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Consumption of sugary carbonated drinks is declining, giving way to regular bottled water. However, soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks are still popular, especially in the younger age groups. The researchers are concerned about this fact and are calling for attention to the main health risks associated with the consumption of such drinks.

1. They promote overeating. According to the study, liquid carbohydrates are less satisfying than their solid forms, this effect is clearly seen with sugary carbonated drinks. Thus, failing to provide any sense of satiety, the drinks simply end up as empty calories. As a result, food intake is increased to satisfy hunger.

“Liquid calories are poorly satiating, do not suppress hunger, and do not induce compensatory dietary responses. When drinking liquid calories, people often end up eating more calories overall,”said Richard Mattes, professor of food and nutrition at Purdue University.

2. Dental health is at risk. Sugar is known to be bad for teeth. But the choice of carbonated water "without sugar" does not solve the problem, because it still contains acids that weaken the tooth enamel.

Sweet carbonated drinks contain phosphoric and citric acids, which have a damaging effect on enamel within 20 minutes. Consequently, the more soda you drink, the more prolonged tooth decay and the weaker the enamel becomes. Over time, there is a high risk of caries, especially in children and adolescents, as their teeth are most vulnerable.

3. They can lead to type 2 diabetes. Drinking one to two cans of sugary soda daily increases your risk of type 2 diabetes by 26%. What's more, this relationship between drinking and diabetes risk is "a likely causal relationship," according to researchers at Harvard University.

Lack of fiber and excessive amounts of sugar cause blood sugar spikes. If a person continues to drink sugary drinks to compensate for the inevitable drop in blood sugar, they develop insulin resistance.

4. High risk of death from cardiovascular disease. In early 2018, researchers at Emory University found a link between sugary sodas and an increased risk of death from coronary heart disease. While more research is needed to confirm causation, it was only found when looking at liquids.

“Two drinks a day doubles the risk of dying from heart disease. And those were just drinks. We tested sweet foods and there was no similar effect,”said Dr. Jean Welsh, assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory. In theory, people consume excessive amounts of drinks because they do not feel full, unlike sugary foods.

Based on materials from Medical Daily