Summer is right around the corner, which means days will be spent grilling outside, kids will be at the pool, and there won’t be a care in the world; except for what you are putting into your body. At Humfeld Chiropractic and Nutrition Center in Faribault, we want to share how your favorite soft drink is affecting your body.
It’s easy to grab a refreshing soda; but, what is all that carbonation and sugar doing to your body? As the rise in numbers of those grabbing soft drinks as a choice of beverage goes up, so do the number of new side effects. Thousands of people are being admitted into hospitals daily because of over consumption of carbonated, sugary beverage drinks. Asthma, tooth enamel decay, heart disease, sugar overload, kidney issues, reproductive issues, osteoporosis, and obesity are all leading causes and diseases associated with drinking these beverages.
The effects of drinking just one can of soda are almost immediate. After 20 minutes, you have consumed 100% of your recommended daily intake of sugar. Within those 20 minutes your blood sugar spikes, causing your body to trick the liver into converting all sugars into fat. Within 40 minutes, the absorption of caffeine is complete, and the rest of your body responds to that. Meaning, your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dump even more sugar into your bloodstream. This is all within the first hour… Over time, a couple of sodas a day will start to affect every part of your body including your brain, heart, lungs, and teeth.
A study published in the journal Neuroscience found that excessive amounts of added sugar can interfere with a large amount of your neurological processes, affecting mainly your memory making. With inadequate neuroprocessing levels everyday cognitive tasks like learning and memory become more difficult. In 2012, a study was conducted at Harvard University that found that those who drank only one can of soda a day drastically increased their risk of chronic heart disease. Compared to those who drink little to no soda, those who drank the most were 20% more likely to have a heart attack.
Soda consumption has also been linked to risks of pulmonary complications such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). Your body works off a “dose-response” relationship, meaning the more soft drinks one consumes, the higher the chance of developing certain diseases. Aside from the possibility of developing diseases within your: brain, heart, and lungs; drinking these sugary / carbonated beverages strongly damages your teeth. With every sip, sugar combines with the bacteria in your mouth, giving rise to acid. The acid from these drinks weakens the enamel on your teeth, and overtime leads to bacterial plaque and cavities. The same goes for diet soda as well, you may think you are taking away all the sugar which may be true, but you are adding in worse additives and preservatives that make your drink sugar free and low calorie, making the effects on your body the same, if not worse.
So, this summer, instead of reaching for your usual soda of choice, grab that fresh fruit juice, or even a glass of water with a few drops of citrus essential oils to give you that refreshing flavor you are craving, without the harsh side effects and potential life threatening diseases.