Matino
Moderator
With more and more soft drink brands entering the market virtually everyday, one will think they have lots to offer in terms of health benefits. Unfortunately they don’t!
To say that soft drinks do more harm than good will be putting it mildly. The truth is apart from the immediate feeling they give you, they do not offer anything good at all.
Here are the top reasons why you should stop taking soft drinks if you really are care about your health.
Soft drinks have no nutritional value
Considering that soft drinks are filled with sugar and calories, they offer little or nothing in terms of nutrition. This is because these are two things you want to actually avoid to stay healthy. Infact, even diet soft drinks do not offer any nutritional benefit except that they contain less calories and sugar. If your goal is rehydration, then plain water can do that without bringing along the calories and sugar.
Soft drinks are a major factor in obesity and diabetes
A can of coke contains as much as 10 cubes of sugar and you will need to cycle for 25 minutes to burn the calories. The sweetener used in most soft drinks is high-fructose corn syrup. This type of sugar has been linked to several conditions including obesity and diabetes. Diet soft drinks can also contribute to this because the sweetener used in them have been found to lead to increased appetite and makes it more difficult to lose weight. People who take one or more sugary drinks a day have been found to be more likely to have Type 2 Diabetes than those who don’t.
Soft drinks and dentition
Soft drinks are made with carbonated water and this weakens tooth enamel, leading to the formation of cavities and tooth decay. The sugar in these drinks also coats the teeth allowing bacteria to thrive in the mouth. Studies have shown that soft drinks alone are responsible for doubling or tripling the cases of tooth decay.
Soft drinks and weakened Bones
Soft drinks can be a factor in cases of osteoporosis where the bones are weakened. This is especially true in those who substitute the intake of milk with soft drinks. Children who consume excessive soft drinks have also been found to be at a significant risk of impairment in the calcification of their growing bones.
Metabolic Syndrome
This syndrome combines high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance with obesity. Soft drinks have unfortunately been found to be a major risk factor for the development of this syndrome.
Dehydration
You may think that soft drinks are good for rehydration. It is important to note that the rehydration is short-lived. Many soft drinks contain significant amounts of caffeine.
Caffeine is a kind of diuretic that causes an increase in the volume of urine passed. The excess sugar also causes more water to be lost from your body.
There are several healthy alternative drinks that you can take instead of soft drinks and they include tea, natural fruit juice, coffee, low fat milk and plain water.
Photocredit: www.sugarstacks.com