What Happens If You Drink Soda?

By Pooja Kaushal

Monday, May 25, 2015, 18:07 [IST]

We may call them soft drinks but the effects they have on our health is harsh. The brightly coloured drinks in tinkling bottles and stylish cans are very attractive and the taste is simply refreshing too.

However, what our eyes and tongues do not know is the effect these drinks have on our overall health.

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Effects do not come to the fore in one day but over a period of time these fizzy drinks prove to be disastrous for us at some point.

Had only the sugar content been a cause of concern we could have given an affirmative answer to the question of ‘is diet soda healthy?’ Unfortunately it is not so. We have more than one reason to keep us on our guard when it comes to all fizzy drinks.

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Take a look at all the possible effects fizzy drinks can have on our health and you will know what to say when someone asks you “is it good to drink aerated drinks?”

Tooth decay:

All aerated drinks are very acidic in nature and can lead to enamel corrosion. With the enamel at risk and corrosion underway your teeth will be damaged and prone to sensitivity. The high amount of sugars hugging teeth at all is an open invitation to germs .

Empty calories:

What does an aerated drink contain? In broad terms it contains water, artificial colouring, artificial flavors, loads of sugar, caffeine and phosphoric acid. None of these ingredients fulfill any nutritional requirement of the body. What one gets is only a whole lot of empty calories. While drinking will help quench thirst and kill hunger the body will get nothing to benefit from it.

Bone damage:

The phosphoric acid present in fizzy drinks is highly poisonous for the bones. It causes the bones to become porous eventually leading to osteoporosis. One needs no explanation on how badly normal life is affected due to weak bones.

Kidney stones:

Phosphoric acid causes problems in the kidneys as well. When in excess the kidneys find it difficult to excrete this phosphoric acid. Soft drinks lead to removal of calcium from the body which gets deposited in the kidney leading to the painful condition of kidney stones. Once affected the visits to the doctor cannot be avoided.

Skin damage:

Too much of sugar does lead to skin aging but it does not mean that once starts considering ‘is diet soda healthy?' Be it diet or regular soda is soda and this basic fact cannot be overlooked. The empty calories, lack of nutrition and caffeine together lead to skin aging. Too much of fizzy drinks cause the skin to sag, loose elasticity and age sooner than normal.

Obesity:

Obesity and fizzy drinks go hand in hand. Repeated studies around the world at varying times have time and again confirmed the fact that consuming too much of aerated drinks lead to obesity in children and adults alike. Many resort to soda drinks to quench their thirst with water taking a backseat. This only leads to increased intake and deposition of sugar which eventually gets stored as fat.

Malnutrition:

Cola companies add caffeine to fizzy drinks which lead to addiction. Once addicted aerated drinks become a habit and it is not surprising that this leads to a decrease in consumption of healthier drinks like milk, tea and coffee. This only leads to malnutrition.

Aerated drinks, soda drinks or fizzy drinks - whatever you call them they are the same and have the same effects. All effects are in the negative with a consumer gaining nothing from each sip. The only people benefiting are producing companies, and sadly, at the cost of the consumer's health. Now being aware of the effects of these drinks the answer to questions like ‘is diet soda healthy' or ‘is it good to drink aerated drinks' must be clear.