Soft Drinks (Soda): Health Risk and Side Effects

10 reasons to stop drinking soda (all kind of Soft Drinks, including Diet Soda)

Dehydration - Because caffeine is a diuretic, it increases urine volume. So, when you drink a caffeinated soda to quench your thirst, it actually makes you thirstier.

High Calories - A can of regular soda contains more than 150 calories. Not only do these calories contribute to weight gain, but they are also devoid of any nutritional value.

Caffeine Addiction: Most of the soda contains caffeine and when some people don't get their usual dose of caffeine, they can suffer a range of withdrawal symptoms including headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, and inability to concentrate.

Tooth Decay: The amount of acid in soda is enough to wear away at the enamel of your teeth. In tests done on the acidity levels of soda, certain ones were found to have pH levels as low as 2.5. To put that into perspective, consider that battery acid has a pH of 1 and pure water has a pH of 7.

Cost: A person who drinks just 2 cans of soda a day will pay hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. With more than one soda drinker in the house, that yearly total could quickly multiply!

Weight Gain: Artificial sweeteners can interfere with the body's natural ability to regulate calorie intake. This could mean that people who consume artificially sweetened items are more likely to overindulge. Artificial Sweeteners. Studies continue to uncover the potential harmful effects of artificial sweeteners—and many of the effects are still unknown! Who wants to take that risk?

Mineral Depletion: Sodas contain phosphoric acid and caffeine, which drain calcium from the bones. And because caffeine increases urine volume, more minerals leave the body before having a chance to be properly absorbed.

Diabetes Risk: Some scientists believe that the unceasing demands a soda habit places on the pancreas may ultimately leave it unable to keep up with the body's need for insulin—eventually leading to diabetes. While no studies have definitively proved this, the daily consumption of soda does contribute to other problems, such as obesity—a leading cause of diabetes.

Potential Bone Loss: Cola intake (all kinds, not just diet) is associated with low bone-mineral density in women. Women over 60 are already at a greater risk for osteoporosis than men, and researchers found that drinking soda, including diet soda, compounds the problem. The female cola drinkers had nearly 4% lower bone mineral density in their hips than women who didn't drink soda.

In the 1950's, children drank 3 cups of milk for every cup of a sweet drink. Today that statistic has flipped. Less amounts of milk in the average diet could account for lower bone density and higher occurrences of osteoporosis later in life.