The Bubbly Truth.

By popping open the tab or twisting the lid; you could be making a poor health choice when it comes to drinking soda. Most people enjoy soda, what is there not to enjoy about a fizzy flavorful drink? Think of all the different types of soda: Mountain Dew, Crush, Mug Root Beer, Pepsi, etc. Then come the “diet” drinks, which in reality, are absolutely no better for you than regular soda. The thing about diet soda is that it uses artificial sweeteners, usually meaning a sugar substitute such as sucralose. Our bodies can taste the sweetness, but registers no calories. That means that diet soda doesn’t satisfy the bodies craving for sugar. Diet soda drinkers have been shown be at an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. This may be shocking because soda has become such a part of our society that most people would have a tough time saying bye to it. In addition to heart attacks, soda could cause a myriad of other health complications.

First of all, soda is highly acidic, most people know that. Having to much of that acid in our bodies is not very good for our digestive system. The acid in soda also begins to erode the enamel, which is the pretty white covering, of our teeth. I recently learned that it is extremely harmful to brush your teeth within an hour of drinking soda or any another acidic drink. This is because as the soda is eroding your teeth, you begin to brush that acid around your mouth. Also, because your enamel is weakened, when you start brushing your teeth you are basically scrubbing away your tooth enamel. This leads to quicker tooth decay and more dental bills.

 Weight gain and drinking soda are also very closely correlated. This could be a major part of the problem with obesity in the states. When you drink a can or bottle of soda, you are basically drinking about 200 calories of sugar. Another problem with soda is the caffeine and sodium content. Too much caffeine in the body can cause a very wide range health defects. Sodium (salt) in a sedentary lifestyle will generally lead to weight gain.

 These negative side effects have been fairly reasonable. However, I find this to be the most shocking side effect, osteoporosis. This is the technical term for bone loss or loss of bone density. Most sodas contain phosphoric acid. This acid has been to shown to decrease the amount of calcium in the bloodstream. Our bones then release their calcium stores in order to maintain the calcium level in the blood, which leads to a decreased bone density. Having poor bone density will make you more prone to broken bones.

 These are only a few of the health complications that can occur from over consumption of soda.

 So what does this mean? Hopefully, I didn’t scare you enough to never drink soda again. However, after reading this you should be more aware of what you are drinking. There is nothing wrong with an occasional soda. It is when you drink soda every single day, as some do, that you could develop some of these problems. Switch out soda with some of my personal favorites, milk or water.