For years, diet soda has been consumed by dieters and those trying to avoid the sugars and calories associated with regular soft drinks. They may be called “diet” drinks but these drinks were only aimed for diabetics and not dieters. Gradually, the industry developed into massive. However, irrespective of the fact that this drink contains no sugar, it still poses threats to our health.
Earlier research on soda intake made us understand that people who consume more than one of the regular or diet variety soft drinks had a higher tendency of developing metabolic syndrome, which increases the chances of heart disease and diabetes.
An individual may prefer drinking diet soda to the regular sodas; however, these drinks are far from the healthiest drinks that are needed for your body. Unfortunately, through these drinks, we consume tons of calories and we barely notice that diet soda is the main perpetrator.
Hopefully, these 5 harmful ways will enlighten you on how diet soda can wreak havoc to your body.
- Weight Gain
Though calorie-free, consuming more than one diet soda in a day could lead to increased body weight. This is basically because of two reasons; mental and physiological. Simply because you know you’re having a “calorie-free” drink will easily tempt you to opt for a second. Besides, it has been proven that the artificial sweeteners used in making these drinks have virtually the same effect as natural sugar.
Even if soda drinks contain fewer calories than the regular beverages, it doesn’t mean they are really healthy, particularly when consumed in excess. More so, the more sweetened drinks you consume, the more you crave for other sweet food and drinks, which implies more calories.
- It Increases The Risk Of Type II Diabetes
Studies show that drinking one can of diet soda per day increases the chances of developing type II diabetes by 25%. The same amount can increase the chances of developing metabolic syndrome by 36%. This involves a cluster of high cholesterol, high glucose levels, obesity, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure. You wouldn’t risk having these conditions, would you?
- Diet Soda May Damage The Kidneys
In the last two decades, the diagnosis of kidney disease has doubled. According to a recent statistic, about 20 million Americans have some indications of chronic kidney disease. Another recent study shows that drinking one can of diet soda can help maintain your normal calorie intake, but when consumed two or more at a time, they can increase the risk of declining kidney function.
More results from the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology in San Diego showed us that the kidney functions of women who drank 2 or more diet sodas daily decreased by 30%.
According to Said Julie Lin, a staff physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MD, MPH and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School “Thirty percent is considered significant. That’s especially true because most study participants had well preserved kidney function at the start of the study.”
Proven with a few pieces of evidence and research statistics of how detrimental soda drinks is to your health, you’ll adopt a new approach and start substituting soda drinks for water in your diet. The bottom line is for you to keep diet sodas as low as possible in the event that you can never stop drinking them again.
- It Could Lead To Depression
A recent study shows that people who consume more than four cans of diet soda daily have a higher risk of depression than those who live without diet soda. You should consider the whopping 30% increase each time you try to drink more than the recommended quantity (1 can) of diet soda per day.
- It Can Cause Skin Problems
Excess diet sodas can disrupt your pH levels which may eventually lead to acne and deprive your skin of its radiance. Our body needs a high level of alkalinity in order to produce a glowing and healthy complexion. Diet soda has a high acidic level that is capable of lowering your pH. While this may easily be ignored, it is very important to your skin and your entire body. More so, low pH levels can accelerate aging, and as for teenagers, this could be a disaster for your skin.
Other after effects of diet soda includes:
- It increases the risk of a heart attack by 40%, 10 higher than diabetes or high blood pressure.
- It increases the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke.
- It has zero nutritional value since it has zero calories.
- It reduces calcium from your bones especially for those at risk for osteoporosis. Diet soda contains phosphoric acid, an ingredient associated with lower bone density.
According to The American Heart Association, it is recommended that we only take in a maximum of 1, 500 milligrams of sodium per day, while the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a daily consumption of under 2,300 milligrams of Sodium. For those above 51 years of age, or who have specific health issues such as diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure, are advised to consume not more than 1, 500 milligrams.
Generally speaking, diet soda is a drink that should be totally avoided if you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle. As of now, scientists really don’t know the long-term effects of all of the ingredients and chemicals that is contained in diet soda.
So get yourself the easiest help by drinking plenty of unsweetened tea and of course, clean water. Or, then again if you truly can’t do without sweet drinks, always prepare a quality no-sugar-added smoothie with fresh fruits (such as avocado, mango or strawberry) and milk. This will help reduce the negative effects of soda.
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For more health tips and ways to improve your overall health, contact Healing Hands Chiropractic today! Our office, located in Murfreesboro, TN is staffed with Dr. Dee and her amazing team. Healing Hands Chiropractic treats far more than back pain.
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