Why Soda & Juices are Causing Major Health Problems

Some call it "soda, while other call it "pop" or a "soft drink." Universally it can be referred to as the worst beverage choice you can make. The fact is, you won't get any nutritional value from this fizzy drink, but what you will most definitely get are caffeine, carbonation, simple sugars, fructose or even worse, sugar substitutes along with food additives such as artificial coloring, flavoring and preservatives.

So then, why is the soft drink industry booming? This once considered occasional treat is now being consumed by Americans as the staple beverage with lunch, dinner, snacks and as a pick-me-up in between. An overly abundant amount of research is attributing this increase in soft drink consumption to numerous health problems including obesity, nutritional depletion, heart disease, diabetes, the formation of kidney stones and many other health challenges.

Thinking of switching to fruit juice? This is also not the healthiest of options. Fruit juice has also been found to contribute to weight gain and other health issues. Many health experts believe fruit juice should be eliminated from the diet, just like soda.

The Issue: Ingredients

Leading the list of harmful ingredients in soft drinks is sugar - and a lot of it. How much is a lot? To give you and idea, consider this: The USDA recommends no more than 10 teaspoons per day of added sugars per day based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Many 12-ounce soft drinks contain nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar on their own!

How does sugar intake impact your body? After your body receives a large amount of sugar at once, your pancreas goes to work producing and releasing insulin. In time, however, your body may be unable to keep up with the demands for excess insulin, which leads to your cells becoming insulin resistant, putting you at risk for diabetes. Excess sugar can also end up being stored as body fat in your body, resulting in increased risk for obesity, heart disease and cancer.

Drinking soda on a regular basis may also be putting your bones at risk for osteoporosis. Studies have found that women who drink three or more regular cola-based drinks per day experience an almost four percent loss of mineral bone density in the hip. What causes this? The bubbles or carbonation in soft drinks contain phosphoric acid, which depletes blood calcium levels, the essential component that makes up the structure of bone. As calcium levels become depleted over the years they eventually drop to a point of irreversible damage to bone mass and density.

The Link Between Soda, Obesity, Diabetes & Hyperactivity

Just one can a day - what harm can it cause? According to a major stud of 51,603 women over a four-year period, those who drank one serving of soda or fruit punch a day tended to gain more weight and had an over 80 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who drank less than one serving of soda per month. The average weight gain of women who drank a sweet drink per day was over 10 pounds compared to those who consumed less than one per month that gained under three pounds.

The health impacts of soft drinks don't discriminate based on age or gender. In fact, the teenage population has become a huge concern when it comes to soft drink consumption. Regular consumption of soft drinks is associated with childhood obesity and diabetes, and a recent study in the American Journal of Public Health showed that teenagers who drank an average of four or more glasses of soda per day suffered from an increased level of mental distress, behavioral difficulties and hyperactivity.

Fruit Juice - It Looks So Healthy, But Beware...

Don't be fooled by its "healthy" image, giving your child juice may not be much healthier than giving them a cup of soda. One of the dangers of drinking too much juice is that it can throw off the balance of calories and nutrients children require and potentially add hundreds of excess empty calories. Fruit juice quickly elevates your blood sugar levels due to the lack of fiber found in whole fruits, which may contribute to insulin resistance and even diabetes.

Even though the American Academy of Pediatrics issued guidelines stating that fruit juice shouldn't be given to children under six months of age and to limit juice to 4 to 6 ounces per day for children up to age 6, the USDA reported that 60 percent of 1-year-old children are way past that limit and are drinking 11.5 ounces of juice as part of their daily intake.

Fructose: What You Need to Know

Most sugary drinks contain either sucrose or fructose, most often in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. Emerging research is showing that fructose, particularly high-fructose corn syrup, may be worse for you than other sugars like sucrose or glucose. Researchers from the University of California, Davis compared glucose and fructose consumption among 32 overweight or obese people and found in varying health changes.

After drinking either a fructose- or glucose-sweetened beverage that made up 25 percent of their daily calories for 12 weeks, both groups gained a similar amount of weight. Those drinking the fructose-sweetened beverage, however, experienced an array of other unhealthy effects, including:

• An increase in visceral fat (the kind that embeds itself between tissues in organs causing further health challenges)
• Less sensitivity to insulin, one of the first signs of diabetes
• Increased fat production in the liver
• Elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol
• Increased level of triglycerides

Those individuals who consumed the glucose-sweetened beverage did not experience these changes.

When glucose is consumes, a set of reactions occur in the body allowing it to be used as energy, and production of leptin, a hormone that helps control appetite and fat storage, is increased. Ghrelin, a stomach hormone, is reduced as well, which has been shown to help hunger go away.

When fructose is consumed, however, it appears to behave more like fat with respect to the hormones involved in body weight regulation. Fructose doesn't stimulate insulin secretion, increase leptin production or suppress production of ghrelin. Therefore, this suggests that consuming a lot of fructose can contribute to weight gain.

What About Diet Soda or Sugar-Free Fruit Drinks?

Opting for diet or sugar-free versions of soda or fruit drinks isn't the best idea, studies show. Drinking any kind of soda or fruit juice, whether it is diet or regular, resulted in a 30 percent increased likelihood of gaining weight around the midsection.

In both diet and regular sodas, caffeine contributes to the depletion calcium and acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system increasing stress levels and cases of insomnia.

Before you reach for your next can of diet soda consider the following:

• Studies show that drinking diet soda and sugar-free fruit juices stimulates the brain, increases sugar cravings and encourages poor food choices
• Diet soda and sugar-free fruit juices contains artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose or saccharin that have been linked to harmful side effects and actually activate sugar cravings by disrupting your body's ability to accurately access the amount of calories being consumed - thus putting cravings into overdrive

What to Drink Instead...

Addicted to soda or juice? Begin weaning yourself off one day at a time. Start by downsizing to miniature cans of soda or by pouring only a half glass at a time and slowly continue to reduce the amount until you're no longer consuming soda or fruit juice.

Try these tasty and healthy beverage options to replace your old habits:

• Refreshing and replenishing water: Contains no calories, fat or artificial sweeteners, and makes up 60 percent of your body weight. Coming only 2nd to oxygen, it is needed for human survival and a necessity for good health. Every cell in your body depends on it to perform essential functions so begin increasing your intake by including a glass of water water with each meal and snack throughout your day. Use your urine color as an indication of your hydration - dark yellow=drink more; clear=drink less; and pale yellow or straw color=well hydrated.
• Tea: Preparing yourself a cup of tea not only provides you with a sense of calm and relaxation, but also numerous health benefits from its abundant antioxidant properties similar to those from plant-based foods. Research has shown that drinking two cups of green tea a day inhibits cancer growth, so there's an added incentive.
• Water concoctions: Give your water a boost by adding sliced apple or cucumbers for a fresh taste for your palette. All you have to do is add some sliced apple or cucumbers to a pitcher or bottle of water and let it chill for 30 minutes. Other alternatives include basil, mint, a drop of honey, frozen grapes or other fruit you enjoy!

Resources

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 89, No. 6 2963-2972

Journal of Clinical Investigation April 20, 2009

Medical News Today August 23, 2010

Science Daily November 10, 2010

WebMD Soda and Osteoporosis: Is There a Connection?

Yahoo Health October 30, 2009

Mayo Clinic High-Fructose corn syrup: What are the health concerns?

Time.com April 21, 2009

CBS News February 11, 2005

The Washington Post August 25, 2004