Why soft drinks are bad for the body?

Drinking soft drink is especially bad for the body. Photo: Free-Photos, Pixabay

Soft drinks are a commonplace drink in our society that is made up of carbonated water, a sweetener and flavouring. However, due to the over-excessive amounts of sugar in soft drinks, its consumption can have very bad effects on the body.

Soft drinks are linked to weight gain

It is no surprise, but soft drinks are heavily associated with extreme weight gain. Added sugar alone is highly fattening, but the liquid sugar which is used within soft drinks is especially dangerous for anyone’s calorie intake or weight gain. Stick to a diet that does not include soft drinks to lose weight.

When consuming soft drinks, the sugar that enters the body supplies large amount of simple sugar fructose. This sugar does not lower the hunger hormone known as ghrelin within the body, meaning that soft drinks will not sate hunger but leave people hungrier. The carbohydrates found in starchy foods on the other hand will diminish these hunger hormones.

Soft drinks are unnecessary

At the same time, the brain is supposed to regulate calorie intake using indicators such as glucose. However, the brain does not recognise fructose found in soft drinks the same way and will ignore it. What this means is that the body will disregard soft drinks and add it onto the calorie intake, meaning that drinking soft drinks are extra unnecessary calories.

There is a large correlation with people who drink soft drink gaining much more weight rapidly than those who do not drink soft drinks at all. Studies have indicated that drinking just one soft drink a day increase the risk of obesity by at least 60%.

Soft drinks lead to more belly fat

Drinking soft drinks will make the body much more likely to store body fat, especially in the belly. Fructose itself is not a natural sugar our bodies can deal with in copious amounts which is why it will significantly increase the amount of fat around the belly and the organs as well.

A study was conducted between the two sugars, fructose and glucose. Those who consumed glucose had an increase in subcutaneous fat which the body is naturally capable of dealing with. However, those who consumed fructose had significant increases in only visceral fat, the fat which is around the belly and dangerous for health, potentially leading to heart disease.

Soft drinks increase the risk of diabetes

When drinking soft drink there is an increase in risk of diabetes. Photo: Stevepb, Pixabay

Drinking soft drinks can greatly increase one’s resistance to insulin as the cells within the body become much more resistant. The purpose of insulin is to absorb the glucose and use it for energy for the body.

However, after drinking soft drinks, more glucose is forced into the bloodstream, forcing the pancreas to create more insulin in order to combat the increase in glucose. This leads to a situation where the body becomes much more resistant to insulin making it harder for key parts of the body to absorb the glucose for the body.

This is why soft drinks are linked to an increase in type 2 diabetes because it forces the body to create more insulin to overcome the resistance it had created in order to absorb excess glucose from soft drinks. As the body is unable to provide the insulin for the glucose, it builds up and causes diseases such as diabetes, pre-diabetes and other health issues.

Soft drinks will decay teeth rapidly

As most people are unaware of the high concentrations of sugars such as glucose and fructose used inside of soft drinks, they are also unaware of the extreme risks soft drinks pose for teeth. If remained unchecked, acids in the mouth can easily begin to dissolve the tooth enamel and create the dental decay within the teeth.

Therefore, drinking a large number of soft drinks which contain these acids over a prolonged period of time will begin to erode the tooth enamel. Without a proper enamel to guard the teeth, they will become thinner and weaker. Simultaneously, because of this, it is much more likely the teeth will be prone to teeth cavities as well.

Dentists suggest that if anyone must drink soft drinks, it is extremely well advised that the drink itself does not come into contact with the teeth themselves. This can be avoided by using a drinking straw instead allowing people to drink it without it harming the teeth to the same extent. However, this does not excuse the other harmful effects of soft drinks.

Soft drinks are empty calories

All soft drinks contain an excessive amount of added sugar inside of it, and as a result of this they are considered empty calories. This means that soft drinks are high in energy but very low in nutrients with little to no nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, or fiber. Empty calories are dangerous for the body because they only contain calories, leaving the body in poor health.

Even diet soft drinks will harm the body

Although diet soft drinks claim that they have no sugar within them, instead most diet drinks will use aspartame as a substitute which can create even more health issues and problems for active consumers. Excessive aspartame in soft drinks has been linked to health problems such as seizures, brain tumours, diabetes and emotional disorders.

Diet sodas themselves have also been associated with risks such as metabolic syndrome, high blood sugar and a very high increase in cholesterol within the body too. Consider substituting soft drinks for a healthier alternative such as tea.

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