Soda began as a novel idea that if you mix carbonated water with sugar and select flavorings you would have a health elixir. Today, soda should be labeled as the elixir for an expedient death. We all should take soda more than just carbonated water and natural sugar. Soda today is a beverage packed with ingredients that exacerbate the chances of getting unhealthily obese, turning our bones into brittle supports, and cause problems to our health that should never have happened in the first place. This warning goes exclusively to developing adolescents because the effects of soda on them is pernicious, so that when their bodies reach maturity the awful effects of a soda enriched diet will be undeniably regretted.
Soda increases the chances of everyone to get obese because of an ingenious ingredient slipping rampantly into all sweet food products, notably soda. That ingredient, high fructose corn syrup, is a sweetener derived from corn and is the magic ingredient soda companies enjoy injecting into their beverages because it is cheaper than conventional beet or cane sugar. But it induces your body to store excess fat and increases your metabolism, making you want to eat more. High fructose corn syrup does this by altering your metabolic regulating hormones and triggers your liver to output more fat into your bloodstream. If taken in moderation high fructose corn syrup wouldn’t be as detrimental to all our diets but it is the amount it is distributed in soda that will do harm in the present and future.
Furthermore, soda poses an even more inherent danger, pointed specifically to adolescents. In fact adolescents who consume soda have a risk to fracture their bones four times higher than adolescents who do not. This means soda weakens the bones of adolescents because it contains no calcium and because of the high phosphoric acid content crammed within soda. Phosphoric acid literally pulls calcium out of the bones of adolescents and since the rate of adolescents who drink milk has decreased measurably many adolescents have no way to compensate for the loss of calcium. This effect will result in osteoporosis; a condition where bones will literally have holes in them this increased porosity increases the chances of injury and inhibits normal activity, and increased tissue calcification (hardening of body tissue).
With the rise of the “diet” trend several adolescents are believe that diet sodas are a totally legitimate alternative to normal sodas. That is not the case. Diet sodas contain higher phosphoric acid rates than regular sodas exacerbating bone deficiency in teens even further. Diet sodas also still usually contain high doses of caffeine that is administered at high levels in soda making it unhealthy for the same reasons too much phosphoric acid is detrimental. It has also been researched that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas have certain harmful side effects.
So the next time you consider drinking soda take a moment to reflect on its effects to your health and wellbeing. If you want weak bones, an obese body, and a low amount of vigor into your daily activities drink soda as a commonplace habit. While if you wish to develop your body to its optimal ability and live a vibrant life drop soda as a beverage option completely. Water is the best and natural alternative to a soda beverage.