The consensus of peer review studies is that soft drink consumption is related to increased weight and obesity. This may be a no brainer but we still consume a lot of soft drinks. Some people don’t worry about their weight so they think this information does not apply to them, but it does! The incidence of developing Diabetes type II is twice as likely than those people who drink one carbonated beverage per month or less.
Researchers found that people who drank soft drinks eat more carbohydrates, and eat less fruit and fiber than those folks that don’t. The reason why is speculated that with the fast rise in blood sugar and insulin production, your body is gearing up to take care of that sugar and calling for it. You are eating more before you even know you are full. The body’s ability to know you are full is delayed, so your calorie intake is higher.
It is recommended that we eat no more than 100g for women, and 150g for men of added sugar in a single day. People that consume more than that are at a much higher risk of developing dyslipidemia. In other words, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides come from too much added sugar. Another study showed that when you consume more that 10% of your daily intake from added sugar your triglycerides and cholesterol are markedly elevated setting you up to develope non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. These triglycerides deposit in your liver and make it impossible to process out the fat the way it was designed to do. This leads to increased oxidative stress which makes you age much faster and puts you at a higher risk for cancer. It releases inflammatory cytokines so inflammation is rampant throughout your body causing pain and leading to many other problems.
I guess the long and short of it is do not eat or drink added sugars. There are so many health related conditions caused or added to by sugar consumption. Most of the quick easy sugar we consume is in the form of soda. Do yourself a favor and switch to water. Hydrate your body and brain giving it the best way to keep functioning well for many years.
Tamara Lund, D.C. 