The last question on the survey for new orthopedic patients caused a lot of frowns in the waiting room. “Do you drink more than three soft drinks or sodas a day?” it demanded to know. The receptionist confided that a lot of patients admitted to excessive soda consumption.
What is Too Much?
There are many opinions, regardless of whether your passion is regular or diet soda. Signs of drinking an excessive amount include not remembering when you opened the can in your hand and getting upset when there’s no soda in the fridge to help start the day. According to WebMD, if your child repeatedly asks for soda instead of milk or juice, that’s an indicator.
Although the sales of some soft drinks fell slightly in 2005 – the first time in 20 years – Americans still lug home 10 billion cases of soda a year, WebMD says. Soda might taste great, but it adds no nutritional value to anybody’s diet.
Why Be Wary of Excessive Soda?
A number of health problems have been directly linked to soda or soft drinks.
Osteoporosis. Bone thinning and potential osteoporosis can be a huge problem for teenage girls. They have a tendency to drink a lot of soda during the time when they should be achieving maximum bone mass and drinking more milk.
Metabolic syndrome. WebMd reports that a study published in 2008 showed that individuals who consumed just one diet soda each day incurred a 34 percent higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than those who drank none. This syndrome is a collection of health problems that includes carrying excess weight and having elevated blood sugar levels.
Tooth decay. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), some non-diet soft drinks have up to 11 teaspoons per sugar per serving. The organization cites the link between consumption – especially heavy consumption – of soft drinks made with sugar and developing tooth decay. In addition, prolonged exposure to the phosphoric and citric acids found in most of these drinks can result in erosion of tooth enamel.
Diabetes and obesity. Consuming too much non-diet soda can also be an indirect cause of diabetes, which is linked to too much sugar for the pancreas to handle, and to obesity. A study of Massachusetts children showed that for every additional sugary drink a youngster drank each day, his or her odds of obesity increased 60 percent.
High blood pressure. MedlinePlus cites a study that suggests even making a small cutback in sweetened soft drinks can improve a patient’s blood pressure. For many years, experts have made a correlation between caffeine in soda – regular and diet – and increased blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems. The recent study suggests there is also a direct link between sugar in soda and elevated blood pressure.
Craving for sweets. According to Web MD, some animal studies suggest that diet soda can increase a craving for sweets. However, studies of humans haven’t verified this theory.
How to Kick the Habit
For many individuals, the decision to suddenly stop drinking any soda – diet or regular – can result in headaches and other symptoms linked to caffeine withdrawal. Tapering can reduce these side effects.
Soda drinkers who want to jettison sugared products should start by replacing them with diet drinks. In general, the best way to avoid the adverse effects of soda consumption is to cut back gradually and replace these drinks with healthier alternatives such as regular or flavored water.
Sources:
WebMD site
American Dental Association (ADA) site
MedlinePlus site
