The term Soft-drink was used by the makers of flavored carbonated beverages a long time ago to differentiate them from alcohol containing drinks known as Hard-drinks. This term covers all the sodas and sugar-containing beverages. They are famous for the variety of names in different parts of the world. They are the most common type of drinks that are used worldwide. But despite their heavy consumption, there is no doubt that soft drinks have more bad effects than good ones on our health.
You might hear this adage of Paracelsus …“the dose makes the poison.”
This saying beautifully explains the harmful effects of soft drinks. If you increase the number of soft drinks, it will act as a poison. A slow poison or a fast-acting poison? It simply depends on the dose you take.
Here are some reasons why you should avoid these soft drinks as they act like a poison in your body.
They Are High In Calories
Soft drinks contain little to no essential nutrients rather they are empty calories without any vitamin, minerals, antioxidants and fibers. They only contain sugars. A can of cola soft drink contains 17 teaspoons of sugar and 240 calories. These are empty calories without any benefit.
The obesity rate is increased especially in children because of the excessive consumption of soft drinks.
Artificial Coloring is Linked To Cancer
The brown color of cola is not made from caramelized sugar rather cola drinks have additive chemicals in them to make them brown. These chemicals are made from a very lethal type of chemical reactions which produces carcinogenic (cancer-causing) by-products. According to the research these chemicals cause lungs, liver, thyroid cancer and leukemia in laboratory mice.
Harmful Effects of Caffeine Present In Soft Drinks
Caffeine is a diuretic (that increase urination). The high amount of caffeine in soft drinks dehydrates the body cells by excessive urination. This dehydration leads to difficulty in absorbing nutrients by the cells. And it makes more difficult for them to excrete the waste materials and toxins.
On the other hand, caffeine also blocks the absorption of magnesium, which is very important for your body’s enzymatic reactions and helps in the body’s detoxification processes.
Read Also: 9 Super Veggies You Need to Eat More
They Deplete Your Mineral Levels
Soft drinks that contain phosphoric acid remove your essential calcium from your bones. According to the research women taking 3 or more cola drinks a day have almost 4% less bone mineral density in their hips. Even though researchers controlled their calcium and vitamin D intake in the respective research.
Other than bones these soft drinks drastically affect your teeth. The acid present in soft drinks can damage the tooth enamel.
Soft Drinks Increase The Risk of Many Diseases.
The chances of Type II diabetes may increase by 25% if you drink one or two sugary drinks per day. The high amount of sugar in soft drinks affects your pancreas, potentially making it unable to cope with the body‘s need for insulin.
Kidneys are also the main target of these soft drinks. The decline in kidney functioning can relate to using of soft drinks.
According to the studies, the daily consumption of soft drinks increases the risk of heart diseases in men by 20%.
Obesity itself is a disease. Soft drinks make you obese and disturb your metabolism, making it difficult to burn fats and reduce weight.
Soda drinks can also cause asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), according to the research in South Australia.
Similarly, researchers also find out that high amount of consumption can also cause Dementia (loss of memory) like problems.
So this fact is without any doubt that soft drinks are only empty-calories drinks. You should avoid them as much as possible to live a long healthy life with strong bones, healthy brain, and perfect metabolism. If you have any health issue regarding your general health you can easily find the best General Physician in Lahore and other main cities of Pakistan through Marham.
