Soda is tasty but incredibly unhealthy and loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients. A few decades ago, people used to be much healthier than they are now, mainly due to the foods they ate and the fact that they were more active.
This only happened in more developed areas, where people had the means to survive without worrying about starvation.
The present is superior because many more people have access to food and other facilities that improve the quality of life. In general, life expectancy has increased because society is better equipped to fight disease, hunger, etc. But that doesn’t mean that all aspects of modern society are equally healthy. And one of the least healthy inventions is soda.
Soda is one of the tastiest things modern societies have invented. It’s refreshing and delicious, especially on a hot summer day, but it also has a lot of hidden ingredients that aren’t ideal. Even homemade fruit juices are not recommended for daily consumption. And those are unprocessed and have no added chemicals.
This is the sugar found in all types of juices. And soda is so much worse because it’s processed and has all these chemicals added to it. But many people still drink every day. And who can blame them? Soda is delicious and you can easily get addicted to it. But bad things will happen to your body if you drink sodas daily.
The ingredients that go into soda (sugar and artificial ingredients)
Soft drinks, soft drinks or sodas are preferred, mainly to quench thirst on a hot summer day. No one believes that its ingredients can be harmful. But when you go to the store to buy one, you probably don’t think about how harmful it is. Soda is mostly carbonated water based, but that’s where the non-harmful ingredients end.
The secondary ingredient in soda is high fructose corn syrup, which is essentially sugar. Most high fructose corn syrups contain 55% fructose and 45% glucose. And the result tastes like table sugar. Only 100 grams of cola contain eleven grams of sugar. A standard can of soda contains up to 39 grams of sugar (or about nine teaspoons). And this is not where the harmful ingredients end.
You will also find caramel color in most sugary drinks. This is just an artificial coloring that makes things brown. Other types of artificial dyes are also used, which are very harmful, as they are all obtained chemically.
The next ingredient on the list is caffeine, something few people know about. You should be aware that cola contains caffeine and some people even drink it to boost their energy.
That caffeine can be a problem, especially if you drink large amounts of soda. Many other added chemicals enhance the flavor and increase the shelf life of the drink. Technically, soda is non-perishable, which means it doesn’t spoil on its own. And that should get you thinking about some questions, mainly how does it get into your body?
What about zero and sugar free soda?
Sodas marketed as “zero” or “sugar free” are even worse. They are sugar free and come with the added benefit of being zero calories. But there’s a problem: artificial sweeteners are used to get the same taste as soda. Aspartame and acesulfame potassium are the main sweeteners used. Although aspartame has been deemed safe for consumption, many concerns are associated with this chemical.
Many studies associated long-term aspartame consumption with an increased risk of obesity. Some studies they link it to an increased risk of cancer, but the evidence is not conclusive. Therefore, diet sodas may be a better alternative. But it still contains some dangerous ingredients and the long-term effects are still unclear.
What happens to your body if you drink soda every day?
These red flags will make you want a nice, big, healthy glass of water.
1. Harms gut health
Your gut health affects your entire body, so taking care of it is very important. Trillions of microorganisms in the gut work together to ensure a healthy balance. This is known as the gut microbiome, which affects the entire gut when it is out of balance. Gut health affects many aspects, from immunity to mood. Although it only covers the digestive system, the effects of its imbalances extend beyond that region.
Soda is very acidic, so drinking it daily can harm the good bacteria in your gut. And it appears that diet soda is worse than regular soda in this regard. And this is precisely because of the artificial sweeteners it contains. They disrupt the gut microbiome and can cause a number of problems, especially stomach upset, cramps and constipation.
These chemicals can disrupt digestion, causing inflammation and making you feel uncomfortable. But drinking regular sodas doesn’t do wonders for the gut either. The excess sugar it contains can limit the production of a protein that promotes the existence of a specific type of good bacteria. This is supported by a yale study which analyzes intestinal health.
This bacteria is important because it helps process healthy foods like vegetables. When these bacteria are diminished, these foods cannot be digested properly. Also, the acidity in all types of soft drinks is a major factor affecting the gut. It can cause bloating and gas, to say the least. So if you feel like you’re having intestinal problems, it might be time to cut back on your soda intake.
2. Increases the risk of heart disease
Sugar seems to be the biggest problem associated with excessive consumption of soft drinks. You cannot associate drinking a sugary drink with heart problems. But it’s one of your biggest concerns if you’re an avid soda drinker. And that’s because of the abnormally high amount of sugar in that can. Not to mention all the added chemicals don’t help either. But it’s the sugar that does the most damage.
High sugar intake raises blood pressure and can increase chronic inflammation. Both problems can degenerate and lead to heart disease. In addition, calories consumed in liquid form, especially those from sugary drinks, are not felt. They trick the body into turning off its appetite control system, which means you’ll still be hungry after drinking them.
So you will consume more calories than you should, even if you don’t eat solid foods in excess. This is relevant because weight gain and heart disease are correlated. That’s not to say a few extra pounds are bad for you. But if it gets to the point of obesity, it becomes a big problem. Among other things, severe weight gain can cause atherosclerosis.
This happens when the arteries thicken or harden due to plaque buildup in the lining of the vessels. And some of the most common factors are obesity and high cholesterol. All the problems mentioned above can cause heart disease and even stroke. Many studies have been done on this topic, and they all have similar conclusions. And is that people who drink a lot of sodas are twice, if not more, likely to have heart problems than people who don’t drink.
3. Can lead to diabetes
Aside from calories, there are no other nutrients you can get from sugary drinks. And the idea that you at least consume a few calories shouldn’t be a selling point. Those calories aren’t sustainable, and aside from providing a temporary boost of energy, they don’t help you. As mentioned above, the hidden calories in these drinks are very dangerous because they do not satisfy the body.
Your appetite control system is not equipped to handle these calories properly. So your body will still want to eat something nutritious. Now, it’s okay to crave nutritious food, not the calories you should be worrying about. If a person who didn’t drink soda before started drinking one a day, they would gain up to ten pounds a year. And that’s assuming they don’t change their diet to accommodate the extra calories from soda.
As for type 2 diabetes, sugar intake and weight gain must be controlled. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin and the cells respond poorly. Insulin is the hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into cells. So when there isn’t enough of it, the level of sugar (specifically glucose) in the blood is high.
Already obesity is related to diabetes mainly through the liver. Excess glucose in the body is mainly stored in the liver. And, if you struggle with obesity, your liver contains fat. Therefore, there is no room for the body to store glucose. So the body tries to create more insulin to push the sugar through the fat.
Over time, it becomes overwhelmed, which means it cannot produce the proper level of insulin. When there is very little insulin in the body, it is type 2 diabetes. This disease is dangerous because it can lead to stroke, nerve damage, kidney problems, vision loss and many more.
Final Thoughts on What Happens to Your Body If You Drink Soda Every Day
Having a soda every now and then is no problem. But drinking daily is harmful, no matter how tasty it is. And it doesn’t even taste that good. It’s much healthier and more satisfying to drink some water.
Or, if you want something sweet, eat some fruit or drink some juice. You should consume juices in moderate amounts as they are high in fructose, which is a sugar. But it’s much better to drink a glass of orange juice than a can of cola.
If you drink soda every day, you will have to deal with numerous health problems. The most dangerous are heart disease and diabetes. But even if you don’t get to that point, you’ll likely have to deal with imbalances in your gut health. Therefore, drinking a glass of water is better than dealing with bloating and cramps.
