Soft Drinks Hard Facts

We all know how good a cold drink can be during summer time. Everyone in the 21st century is fond of soft drinks, sodas and non-alcoholic beverages. We usually say that these help us digest food. But that is not true. Where these beverages give us delight at the same time they are affecting our body system. Do you know the extent to which drinking carbonated, caffeinated, sugared or artificially sweetened beverages harm your body?

Giving up soft drinks can be the best thing you can do to improve your health.

Here are some reasons why you should give up soft drinks and sodas.

1. THEY ARE USELESS

First of all there are no nutritionally beneficial components. Soft drinks mostly consist of filtered water and refined sugar.

2. WEIGHT GAIN AND OBESITY

Many people either forget or don’t realize how many extra calories they consume in what they drink. Drinking single 330 ml can a day of sugary drinks translate to more than 1 lb of weight gain every month. Several scientific studies have provided experimental evidence that soft drinks are directly related to weight gain.

3. DIABETES

Anything that promotes weight gain increases the risk of diabetes. Drinking soda not only contributes to making people fat, but it also stresses body’s ability to process sugar. Rapidly absorbed carbohydrates like high fructose, corn syrup put more strain on insulin producing cells than other foods. When sugar enters the blood stream quickly, the pancreas has to secrete large amount of insulin for the body to process it. Some scientists believe that unceasing demands that a soda habit places on the pancreas may ultimately leave it unable to keep up with body’s need for insulin. Also, insulin itself becomes less effective at processing sugar; both conditions contribute to the risk of developing diabetes.

4. KIDNEY DAMAGE

Researches clearly demonstrated that large quantities of cola result in enhanced kidney stone formation. If you are wondering exactly how soft drinks cause kidney stones, it’s because of their acidity and radical mineral imbalances. Your body must buffer the acidity of soft drinks with calcium from own bones. As this calcium is eliminated through your urine, it slowly forms kidney stone.

5. INSOMNIA

From excessive drinking of soft drinks because of the caffeine in it can cause person insomnia. There are about 93 milligrams of caffeine in a can of soft drink, which is about half a cup of coffee and can last for about six hours in the system. Caffeine as we know it is a stimulant and most people start out the day with coffee which has much more benefits than a can of soft drink. Especially for children, caffeine can interfere with brain development. There is no definitive proof it is always better to be safe than sorry.

6. OSTEOPOROSIS

Calcium becomes problem for regular soft drink consumers. As drinks has no calcium, that should not be a surprise. The phosphorus in soda weakens the bones, thus causing easy fractures or even breaking of the bones.

7. DENTAL CARIES AND EROSION

Soft drinks eat up and dissolve the toot enamel. Researches say that soft drinks are responsible for doubling the incidence of tooth decay.

The acidity can dissolve the mineral content of the enamel, making teeth weaker, more sensitive and more susceptible to decay. Acidity makes it even worse foe teeth than the solid sugar found in candy.

8. DEHYDRATION

And this is usually consumed when it is hot and nasty outside. Yes it will dehydrate your body because off the caffeine and sugar that it contains.

High concentration of sugar is drawing off water because you kidneys try to expel the excess sugar out of the blood. When you drink a caffeinated soda to quench your thirst, you actually become thirstier.

THERE ARE SO MANY HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES

Soft drinks replace healthier drinks. By drinking soft drinks you cut the intake of fresh juices, milk and even water and deprive yourself from essential vitamins and minerals.

· Water, water is the best drink in the world.

· Tea, any kind of tea herbal, green or black is rich in antioxidant.

· Fruit juice can be also useful for flavoring water and teas.