The harmful effects of sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened drinks are many, and their benefits are yet to be discovered. Aside from the pleasure that comes with its sweet taste, sugar has no positive effects on the body. In fact, the sugar in soda acts just like cocaine and other addicting drugs when it comes to the effect it has on the brain—that is why it’s so difficult to kick the habit.
Some of the harmful effects soda has on your body:
- Increased blood pressure
- Addictive
- Affects your skin
- Affect your teeth (tooth enamel)
- Increased risk of diabetes
- Increased weight
- Pro-inflammatory
- Stimulate the fight or flight response
- Increased risk of cancer
- Includes food coloring, refined cane sugar, sodium, high fructose corn syrup and other chemicals
- Increased risk of stroke and dementia
- Reduced memory
Overall, soda and other sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened beverages shorten your life span and lower your quality of life.
According to research done in 2010, sugar-sweetened beverages are responsible for 665,000 deaths, including 369,000 due to diabetes, 258,000 due to Cardio-vascular disease and 28,000 due to Cancers.
When trying to kick the habit of drinking soda, you can start by replacing it with sparkling soda with lemon and sweeten it with natural stevia, coconut sugar or maple syrup. Start replacing soda with this healthier homemade alternative until you can kick the habit and drink water.
References:
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/circ.127.suppl_12.amp22
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/sugar-sweetened-beverages-intake.html
https://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3576
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6080735/
https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/health/diet-coke-creates-same-high-as-heroin-1897051
