Who hasn’t tried a can of soda on a sunny day? It feels refreshing and helps deal with the summer heat. There are multiple types of soda available in the market depending on the flavour. The diet soda available also claims to be completely free of sugar and does not harm your health. But do you know what a can of soda contains and what the effect of soda on the body is.
We know what a lot of sugar can do to our health and soda contains an immense amount of sugar which can increase the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases as well as weight gain. Read to know more about the side effects of soda on the body.
What Does Soda Contain?
What we know in general about soda cans is that they are refreshing, cool, and can make you feel better on a warm day but do you know what kind of contents are in a can of soda? The three main things that soda contains are water, carbon dioxide, and sugar.
The worst part about soda is that the sugar content in it is quite high. You might not feel it when you are drinking it but your body feels its effects. Besides sugar and carbon dioxide, soda also contains artificial colours, caffeine, preservatives, vegetable oils, and citric acid. While these ingredients are not very harmful, a high intake of these can increase the risk of certain diseases and hamper normal bodily functions. The two types of soda are – diet soda and regular soda.
The Effect of Soda on the Body
There are multiple effects that soda drink has on our bodies. We have mentioned below the most common effects of soda:
1. Weight Gain
The high sugar content in a soda is directly linked to weight gain. The sugar added to a can of soda does not make you feel full and you will still maintain the daily diet of your carbohydrates. Therefore, this increase in sugar amount leads to a fast gain in weight.
2. Problem of Fatty Liver
The most common sugar in soda is fructose which is metabolised by the liver. If you increase your intake of fructose, it will accumulate in your liver and get converted into fat. Too much consumption of fructose can give you the problem of non-alcoholic fatty liver.
3. Insulin Resistance
The increase in sugar intake can make you resistant to the effects of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for the utilisation of sugar for energy. If your body or cells become resistant to insulin, the sugar that is accumulated in your body will not be used and you can suffer Insulin Resistance which is linked with metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
4. Soda has No Essential Nutrients
The main ingredients of soda include carbohydrates, water, and sugar which means that it has no nutrients, just sugar. Therefore, excessive intake of soda only contributes to an increase in weight gain and increases the risk of multiple diseases. You can swap the soda drink with fruit juices so that you get that refreshment along with the essential nutrients required by your body.
5. Addiction
The high content of sugar in soda increases the dopamine release from the brain which is directly associated with pleasure and calmness. It is also known as soda alcohol because people can get addicted to it.
6. Increases the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
The high sugar content along with the risk of insulin resistance can cause multiple heart-related or cardiovascular diseases. Studies have shown that there is a direct link between heart disease and the sugar intake of an individual and the concentration of sugar in soda can easily contribute to a high risk of heart disease.
7. Cancer Risk
Conditions like obesity and diabetes increase the risk of cancer. Therefore it is no surprise that soda can increase the risk of cancers related to multiple organs. People who consume soda have an 87% more chance to develop pancreatic cancer than people who do not drink soda.
8. Effects on Dental Health
The sugar in soda along with the Carbon dioxide and phosphoric acid makes your teeth prone to decay and also makes them brittle. The acids and the sugar can increase the risk of plaque formation on the teeth and make them sensitive.
9. Risk of Gout
This is a condition in which uric acid crystals are deposited in the joints and cause inflammation and pain. The sugar contained in soda is known to increase the production of uric acid and the increased level of uric acid in the body gets accumulated in the joints, increasing the risk of gout.
10. Might Cause Dementia
The blood sugar content is directly related to the risk of dementia. Drinking soda daily can increase your blood sugar levels, which will increase the chance of you suffering from dementia in old age. High sugar intake also hampers the decision-making and memory capabilities of an individual.
Conclusion
One thing that you will see almost everyone holding during hot summer days is a soda can. It is a very popular beverage all over the world, especially in the US. But the ingredients that soda contains have a serious effect on your body.
Soda contains high sugar content along with carbon dioxide and water. Besides these, it also contains carbonic acid and phosphoric acid which can lead to tooth decay and plaque formation. The high sugar content in soda contributes to increasing the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and gout. Even if you feel like drinking soda, you shouldn’t make it a daily habit, as it can lead to addiction.
