A bottle of cold Coca-Cola or Pepsi is our go-to drink after calling it a day. A bottle of soft drinks seems to refresh our body and mind with the fizz soothing our nerves. But that’s not the case with our organs. As much as these drinks refresh our minds, they pose harmful effects on our bodies. According to a study published in Journal Circulation, around 1,84,000 deaths are caused due to the consumption of soda and other sugary drinks. Here’s how.
1. No nutrients, only sugar
Among the foods with high calorific value, soda or other sugary drinks contain many empty calories due to their sugar content. Sugary drinks have no nutrients like fiber, vitamins, or minerals but only sugar.
2. Increase chances of getting a fatty liver
Consumption of sugary drinks is the easiest way to gift your body a fatty liver. These drinks have high fructose content which is metabolized by our liver. With excess consumption of sugary drinks, our liver turns fructose into fat which gets accumulated in the liver, contributing to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
3. Cause insulin resistance
Sugary soda makes our cells less sensitive, blocking the glucose from the bloodstream to our cells. This will result in more insulin production by the pancreas, resulting in a spike in insulin levels, which is a stepping stone towards cardiac diseases and type-2 diabetes.
4. Teeth and bone damage
Sugary drinks have a high pH level. Your favourite soda like Mountain Dew and Coca Cola has a pH level of 3.2 and 2.5 respectively, leading to the dissolution of the enamel and bones quicker than normal.
5. Cause dementia
A rise in blood sugar level is strongly linked to the risk of suffering from dementia. So, it's now needless to explain how consumption of sugary soda can lead to dementia. Excess consumption of sugary drinks has also led to memory impairment as proved by a rodent study.
Although sugary drinks are our favourite go-to drinks after a tiring day, these drinks can have adverse impacts on our health. Limiting the intake of sugary drinks or substituting them with other healthy drinks is the way to prevent these diseases.