The Health Dangers of Soda
Is soda really bad for you and your grandkids? Take our quiz to find out.
By Beth Levine
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Q: Soda contributes to obesity?
TRUE. More and more evidence shows that drinking sugary drinks increases the risk of obesity or weight gain in children and adults, because of the sugar and high-fructose corn syrup in soda, says Julie Salz Greenstein, Deputy Director, Health Promotion Policy, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).In fact, an extra soft drink a day increases a child's risk of obesity by 60%, she says. Why? When people eat solid food, they feel more full and are less likely to eat extra calories. However, when you drink you do not get that full feeling, so you eat in addition to drinking your soda, and end up consuming far more calories. -
Q: You'd have to drink more soda than the average American to gain weight?
FALSE. First off, the average American drinks a lot of soda: According to studies, sugary drinks are the single largest source of calories in the American diet with the average American drinking about 40 gallons a year (which is about the weight of a preschooler!)The average American consumes 77 grams (6.1 tablespoons or 308 calories) of added sugar per day, and kids as young as three years old are consuming more than 12 grams (1 tablespoon or 46 calories). (Almost half of all added sugars comes from sugary drinks (soda, energy drinks, sport drinks, fruit drinks).) To put the numbers into perspective, the American Heart Association recommends that adults have no more than six to nine teaspoons of sugar per day, and kids have between three and eight teaspoons a day. -
Q: There is no link between soda and cancer?
FALSE. The caramel coloring used in most colas is has been linked to two cancer-causing chemicals. In February 2011, CSPI petitioned the FDA to ban its use. The artificial brown coloring in sodas is made by reacting sugars with high pressure and temperatures. Chemical reactions result in the formation of 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole which in government-conducted studies caused lung, liver, or thyroid cancer or leukemia in laboratory mice or rats. In addition, several studies have found correlations between soda consumption and lymphoma, leukemia and prostate cancers. -
Q: Drinking soda can lead to diabetes and stroke?
TRUE. Drinking just one to two sugary drinks per day increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by about 25%, according to a Harvard University study, and a study in the American Journal of Nutrition that found an increased risk of stroke in people who consumed more than one soda per day. If that’s not enough of a deterrent, diabetes also can lead to erectile dysfunction. -
Q: Soda rots your teeth?
TRUE. Soda consumption nearly doubles the risk of cavities in children and increases the likelihood in adults. “The acid in soda and other sugary drinks causes erosion of tooth enamel, while the sugar in the beverages provide fuel for bacteria that cause tooth decay,” says Greenstein. -
Q: Soda causes osteoporosis?
TRUE AND FALSE. A Tufts University study found that daily consumption of colas is associated with low bone-mineral density in older women. The link was not found in other carbonated drinks. -
Q: Drinking soda can cause high blood pressure?
TRUE. A study by the Louisiana State University Health Science Center School of Public Health in New Orleans found that drinking too many sugary drinks can increase blood pressure levels, while the International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure (INTERMAP) notes that for every extra daily sugary drink, subjects on average had a significant increase in blood pressure. -
Q: You can avoid all these risks by switching to diet soda?
FALSE. While diet sodas contain few or no calories, they do have tooth-eroding acids, caffeine, and/or artificial sweeteners. In addition, a University of Miami study found that subjects who drank diet soda every day had a 61% higher risk of vascular events than those who reported no soda drinking. -
Q: Switching to diet soda helps keep the weight down?
FALSE. INTERMAP reported that people who drank diet soda had higher body mass index than those who did not and had lower levels of physical activity. -
How to Kick the Habit
If you or your grandkids can’t go cold turkey and give up your soda-fix, here's what you can do:• Try drinking smaller serving sizes. Order small serving sizes at restaurants, or split a can of soda with someone. Keep in mind that one twelve-ounce can has about 10 teaspoons (more than 3 tablespoons) of sugar. New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg has actually banned sales of 16-ounce sodas!• Cut the soda with seltzer, gradually increasing the amount of seltzer.• Switch to water, unsweetened tea, or seltzer. Flavor with lemon, lime, or fresh mint.• Drink 100% fruit juice. While it does have sugar, it also has healthful nutrients, as opposed to soda’s empty calories. If you miss the carbonation, add seltzer. -
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Comments
oh my goodness! All soda making industry,,, stop now!!!!
I am 68 and been drinking pepsi, mountain dew, etc for too many years to count,
and I don't have any of those things, In moderation folks, I don't drink as much as
i used to as my stomach has lost it cast iron affect. I drink more water now. but Hello
scare tactic's don't work too as much with us anymore. we have lived this long with
drinking soda so let's leave us alone, what do you say?
I feel that because many are so addicted to soda, they need to be schooled about the risks of it's affects on ones health. My daughter has an addiction to Pepsi andeverytime I stress tto her on it's affects on her health, there's always that debate. Maybe this will help Thank you for writing this article. Now,I have one question for you. Which would you say is harder on your health, soda or beer?
Well, I always thought that the carbon dioxide in soda was bad, but that was not mentioned. I agree with the other comments that exercise and eating in moderation are the best way. I love coke but lately have tried to cut back, since I'm 59. Only drink 2-3 a week. My sister-in-law drank 5 cokes a day and now has esophagus cancer and my brother swears it was from drinking all those cokes.
I now drink fruit juice, which is so much better but I think it has a lot of sugar too! 26 g and coke has 39 g, but the size of the juice is smaller. So, what is the difference? Vit C. Maybe they should put vitamins in sodas!!!!!
Mr Bloomberg is not God, and has no right banning much of anything,I'll make my own decision.