What Soda Can Do To You

According to recent statistics, the average American consumes about 156 pounds of sugar per year.

When you consider the fact that diabetes and obesity are two of the country’s most prevalent public health concerns, these statistics are quite telling.

The vast majority of this consumption comes from sodas, to which many people are practically addicted.

There are some people who forgo healthy choices entirely in favor of drinking one soda after another, and the trend is getting more common.

Refined sugars and artificial sweeteners, the two most common components of soda, are some of mankind’s worst inventions.

Here are some of the reasons why you should step away from the soda and pick up a healthy, natural drink instead.

Immune Suppression

Refined sugars, scientists have recently found, have a nasty effect on your immune system.

Studies have shown that eight tablespoons of sugar, about two sodas’ worth, suppresses your immune system for up to five hours following consumption.

Given this information, it comes as little surprise that people suffer so often from colds, allergies and the flu! Cancer Food Refined sugars, like white sugar and corn syrups, don’t just suppress immunity.

They also act as fuel for cancer cells.

All of the cells in your body require glucose in order to do their work, but it’s been known for nearly a century that cancerous cells require far greater amounts than healthy cells and grow particularly fast in the presence of abnormally high glucose levels.

Because nobody knows they have cancer before they get it, it’s recommended to simply give up sugary drinks entirely.

Fake Sugar Means More Fat

Numerous studies have been published showing that artificial sweeteners, like those found in diet soda and other light or sugar-free soft drinks, may actually cause you to gain more weight than sugar will.

One study from Purdue University gave some rats yogurt sweetened with sugar and others yogurt sweetened with saccharin. The rats fed the artificial sweetener ended up eating more calories, and therefore got fatter, than the sugar-fed rats.

Furthermore, cutting back on the saccharin-fed rats’ calories later did not help. It is believed that these sweeteners damage the body’s metabolic response to eating and the brain’s ability to know when the body has had enough food.

Another common school of though on why artificial sweeteners lead to weight gain is that some people who believe that they’re limiting their calorie consumption by drinking diet beverages are more likely to feel better about having other high-calorie snacks.

How many times have you pulled into a fast food drive-through to order a diet soda and a pastry?

Yeast Infections

When many people hear of yeast infections, they imagine a problem that only women tend to suffer from. However, yeast infections don’t just occur in the vagina.

They can happen in the skin and ears, too, and they can affect both genders.

Candida Albicans, the species of yeast most associated with these infections, thrives in your body when you’ve got a high-sugar diet.

Many ear infections, especially in children, are caused by this yeast. If you experience excessive itching or red, painful rashes in or near skin folds, try removing sugar from your diet for a couple of weeks to see if it clears up.

Bad Teeth

Sugar feeds the growth of harmful bacteria in your mouth, which in turn creates an acidic environment.

This acidity causes the enamel on your teeth to dissolve, leaving them open to further decay. Your gums also pay the price, often becoming red and swollen as you develop gingivitis.

What You Can Do

Because sweet drinks are one life’s many pleasures, it can be hard to give them up entirely. Fortunately, you don’t have to choose drinks loaded with chemicals or refined sugars to enjoy them.

If you’re craving something sweet, there are many naturally sweet drinks you can try. A tall glass of fresh-squeezed juice satisfies your sweet tooth while providing important vitamins and minerals.

Almost all drinks that you’d normally put sugar in, such as coffee and tea, can also be sweetened with stevia leaves or extract.