FACT: Twenty years ago teens drank twice as much milk as soda pop. Now they drink twice as much soda pop as milk.

How bad is soda? Not only does it bloat your waistline, but it also shrinks your wallet. Your body doesn’t like soda. Soda pushes nutritious foods to the side. Diet soda may not have sugar, but it has the same affect on your body.

As most Americans waistlines continue to expand and so do the dollars spent yearly on soda and sweetened soft drinks. A 1997 USDA study showed that Americans spent over $54 billion dollars to buy 14 billion gallons of soda, which means on average each American adult and child consumed 576 cans per year (1.6 cans per day). Carbonated soft drinks account for more than 27 percent of beverage consumption in America. 

So where do we start? Well lets take a look at the major health issues of your favorite bottled soda.

• Sugar! Just talking about how much sugar is in a can of soda is less effective than visualizing it. One 12-ounce can contains about 9 teaspoons of added sugar. That's about a quarter cup. It's also about 150 empty calories. The average American drinks almost two of these each day so he or she is getting nearly a half-cup of sugar from soft drinks. Imagine spooning 18 teaspoons of sugar from the sugar bowl into a big glass of club soda, then adding a couple of drops of food coloring... would you drink it?

Diet sodas may be better in terms of calories and added sugar, however, the problem of nutrition remains. If you’re substituting diet soda for milk or 100% fruit juice in a balanced diet, then your diet will be deficient in the important nutrients these foods provide. 

• Caffeine! Many sodas contain caffeine (colas and non-colas). Caffeine is not only addictive, but it can also cause adverse reactions such as insomnia, irritability and racing heartbeat. Research by Johns Hopkins University examining the difference in consumption of caffeinated vs. non-caffeinated sodas show that consumption is driven by the “mood-altering and physical dependence of caffeine.” To avoid “withdrawal symptoms, similar to symptoms of excess by tapering down slowly, and begin by replacing one of your regular, caffeinated sodas with a non-caffeinated soda every day for four days, then replace that non-caffeinated soda with an equal amount of clear, pure water. For variety, try sodium-free club soda, and add a squeeze of lime and/or lemon. Eventually, you'll wean yourself off the sugary stuff, and you'll feel so much better. Avoid the "added caffeine" drinks like Coca-Cola's Surge or Pepsi's Josta. Mountain Dew contains 55 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce can; Sunkist has 40, Coke 45, Pepsi 37, Sprite zero. 
• Tooth decay! The link between sugary soda and cavities is well documented. But worse is the acids in all sodas, both colas and non-colas, canned ice teas and even diet drinks also can weaken and erode tooth enamel. The malic, tartaric, citric and phosphoric acids that impart familiar flavors corrode the tooth's protective enamel coating and draw calcium out of tooth enamel. Sodas and flavored teas were tougher on enamel than plain brewed tea, coffee and root beer.
• Osteoporosis! Drinking soda can lead to excess consumption of phosphorus, which can lead to a depletion of bone calcium. This is especially worrisome to women. In a study of 460 high school students, girls who drank the most soda had three to four times the risk of bone fracture compared to those who drank none. Physically active girls were at the higher end of the risk ratio. Women are more prone to osteoporosis and need calcium to build their bones, especially before age 25. They need to keep their bones strong after menopause, and soda displaces intake of calcium-rich milk and calcium-fortified milk substitutes. This also increases the risk for broken bones. –
• Obesity! The British medical journal Lancet reported evidence linking soft drink consumption to childhood obesity. Studies show that 12-year-olds who drank soft drinks regularly were almost doubly likely to be overweight than those who didn’t. Just drinking one can a day equals more than a thousand excess calories per week. If you’re trying to lose weight, just cutting out the soda for three weeks will allow you to lose about one pound. Stretched out over a year this could mean a 16-pound loss.
• Diabetes! Type 2 diabetes is closely correlated with obesity. In 2002, nearly 18.2 million Americans had diabetes. Diabetes is an epidemic. The number of victims has nearly doubled from 1990 to 2002. New research shows that women most prone to gaining weight had increased their consumption of sugary soft drinks from less than one a week to more than one a day. On average, those women gained 9-10 pounds in a four-year period. Women reducing their intake of soft drinks gained an average of 3 pounds or less. Other research shows that women who drank at least one sugar-sweetened soda a day were 85 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drank less. In addition to the sodas' excess calories, their large amount of rapidly absorbable sugars could contribute to obesity and a greater risk of diabetes.

So what can we do?  Just find something more health to drink.  Millions of people are being brought up on this well document health killer. If you are truly concerned about living a  healthy lifestyle, leave this stuff on the shelf for somebody that isn't. 

Until next time

People First! Everything Else Second