Sugary sodas are bad for your health
Drinking large amounts of sugary drinks, such as sodas, can have a variety of adverse effects on your health.
when consumed in excess, added sugar can adversely affect your health.
However, some sugar sources are worse than others — and sugary drinks are by far the worst.
This applies primarily to sugary sodas, but also to juices, high-sugar coffee, and other liquid sugar sources.
Here are 13 reasons why sugary sodas are bad for your health.
1. Sugary drinks don't make you feel full and are closely related to weight gain
The most common form of added sugar — sucrose or table sugar — provides large amounts of single candy sugar.
Fructose does not lower the hunger hormone ghrelin or stimulate satiety in the same way as glucose, which is the sugar formed when digesting starchy foods (1, 2).
Therefore, when you consume liquid sugars, you usually add them to your total Calorie intake — because sugary drinks won't fill you up (3, 4, 5).
In one study, people who drank sugary sodas consumed 17% more calories than before in addition to their current diet (6).
Not surprisingly, studies have shown that people who drank sugary drinks gained more weight than those who didn't (7, 8, 9).
In one study of children, drinking sugary drinks every day increased the risk of obesity by 60%. （10）
In fact, sugary drinks are one of the most prone aspects of the modern diet to gain weight.
Summary: If you drink soda, you tend to consume more total calories because liquid sugar won't make you feel full. sugary drinks have been linked to weight gain.
2. A large amount of sugar in the liver is converted into fat
Table sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup consist of roughly equal amounts of two molecules, glucose, and fructose.
Glucose can be metabolized by every cell in your body, while fructose can only be metabolized by one organ—your liver (11).
Sugary drinks are the easiest and most common way to consume excess fructose.
When you consume too much, your liver becomes overloaded and converts fructose into fat (12).
Some fats are excreted in the form of blood triglycerides, while some of the fat remains in your liver. overtime, this can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (13, 14).
Summary: Sucrose and high fructose corn syrup contain approximately 50% fructose and can only be metabolized by the liver. an overdose may cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
3. Sugar significantly increases belly fat accumulation
High sugar intake is associated with weight gain.
In particular, fructose is associated with a significant increase in dangerous fats around the abdomen and organs. this is known as visceral fat or belly fat (15).
Excess belly fat is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease (16, 17).
In a 10-week study, 32 healthy people drank sweetened beverages containing fructose or glucose (18).
People who consume glucose have increased skin fat — which is not associated with metabolic diseases — while people who consume fructose have a significant increase in belly fat.
Summary: Consuming fructose in large amounts allows you to accumulate belly fat, a dangerous fat associated with metabolic diseases.
4. Sugary soda may cause insulin resistance – a key feature of metabolic syndrome
The hormone insulin drives glucose from your bloodstream into your cells.
but when you drink sugary soda, your cells may become less sensitive or resistant to the effects of insulin.
when this happens, your pancreas has to make more insulin to remove glucose from your blood — so insulin levels in your blood spike.
this condition is called insulin resistance.
insulin resistance is arguably the main driver behind metabolic syndrome – it is a stepping stone to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. （19）
animal studies have shown that excess fructose can lead to insulin resistance and long-term elevated insulin levels. （20, 21, 22)
a study of healthy young men found that moderate intake of fructose increased insulin resistance in the liver. （23）
Summary: Excessive intake of fructose may lead to insulin resistance, which is a major abnormality of metabolic syndrome.
5. Sugary drinks may be the leading cause of type 2 diabetes
type 2 diabetes is a common disease that affects millions of people worldwide.
it is characterized by an increase in blood sugar due to insulin resistance or deficiency.
since too much fructose intake can lead to insulin resistance, it's not surprising that a large number of studies have linked soda intake to type 2 diabetes.
in fact, drinking one less can of sugary soda a day has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. （24, 25, 26, 27）。
a recent study of sugar consumption and diabetes in 175 countries showed that for every 150 calories of sugar consumed per day — about a can of soda — the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increased by 1.1 percent (28).
to put it another way, if the entire u.s. population added a can of soda to their daily diet, 3.6 million people could develop type 2 diabetes.
Summary: There is substantial evidence linking added sugar intake (especially sugary drinks) to type 2 diabetes.
6. Sugary sodas contain no essential nutrients – only sugar
Sugary sodas contain virtually no essential nutrients – no vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Aside from excessive added sugars and unnecessary calories, it won't have any effect on your diet.
Summary: Sugary soda contains almost no essential nutrients and provides only sugar and calories.
7. Sugar may cause leptin resistance
leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells in the body. it regulates the number of calories you consume and burn (29, 30, 31).
leptin levels vary with hunger and obesity, so it's often referred to as satiety or hunger hormone.
the effects of fighting this hormone — known as leptin resistance — are now considered one of the primary drivers of fat gain in humans (32, 33).
in fact, animal studies have linked fructose intake to leptin resistance.
in one study, rats became resistant to leptin after being fed large amounts of fructose. strikingly, by the time they returned to a sugar-free diet, leptin resistance disappeared (34, 35).
that is, human studies need to be done.
Summary: Animal tests have shown that a high fructose diet can lead to leptin resistance. eliminating fructose may reverse this problem.
8. Sugary sodas can be addictive
Sugary sodas can be an addictive substance.
In mice, overeating may cause the brain to release dopamine, giving a pleasant feeling (36).
Overeating can have a similar effect on some people because your brain is born Looking for activities that release dopamine.
In fact, many studies have shown that sugar —and processed junk food in general— can affect your brain like hard drugs (37).
For people who are easily addicted, sugar can lead to reward-seeking behaviors known as food addiction.
Studies of mice have shown that sugar can be addictive to the body (38, 39, 40).
While addiction is harder to prove in humans, many people drink sugary drinks in a typically addictive, substance-abusive pattern.
Summary: Sugary drinks have a powerful effect on the brain's reward system, which can lead to addiction.
9. Sugary drinks may increase the risk of heart disease
Sugar intake has long been associated with heart disease risk (41, 42).
Sugary drinks are known to increase risk factors for heart disease, including high blood sugar, blood triglycerides, and small, dense LDL granules. （16, 43）
Recent human studies have shown a strong association between sugar intake and heart disease risk in all populations. （44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49）
a 20-year study of 40,000 men found that men who drank 1 sugary drink a day had a 20% higher risk of heart disease or dying from heart disease than men who rarely drank sugary drinks. （50）.
Summary: Multiple studies have identified a strong link between sugary drinks and heart disease risk.
10. People who drink soda have a higher risk of cancer
Cancer tends to be strongly associated with other chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
For this reason, it's not surprising to see that sugary drinks are often associated with an increased risk of cancer.
A study of more than 60,000 adults found that people who drank 2 or more sugary sodas per week were 87 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who didn't drink soda. （51）。
another study on pancreatic cancer found a strong link between women and men, but not in men (52).
postmenopausal women who drink large amounts of sugary soda are also at higher risk of endometrial or endometrial cancer. （53）。
In addition, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with cancer recurrence and death in patients with colorectal cancer. (54).
Summary: Observational studies have shown that sugary drinks are associated with an increased risk of cancer.
11. Sugar and acid in soda water are a disaster for dental health
Sugary sodas are known to be harmful to teeth.
Soda water contains acids such as phosphoric acid and carbonic acid.
These acids can create a highly acidic environment in your mouth, making your teeth perishable.
While the acid in soda itself can cause harm, its combination with sugar makes soda particularly harmful (55, 56).
Sugar provides easily digestible energy to harmful bacteria in the mouth. this, combined with acids, can wreak havoc on dental health over time (57, 58).
Summary: Acids in soda can create an acidic environment in your mouth, while sugar nourishes harmful bacteria there. this can have a serious adverse effect on dental health.
12. People who drink soda have a sharply increased risk of gout
gout is a disease characterized by inflammation and pain in the joints, especially the big toe.
gout usually occurs when there is a high concentration of uric acid crystals in the blood (59).
fructose is the main carbohydrate known to increase uric acid levels (60).
as a result, many large observational studies have identified a close link between sugary drinks and gout.
in addition, long-term studies have linked sugary sodas to a 75% increased risk of gout in women and a nearly 50% increase in gout risk in men. （61, 62, 63）。
Summary: People who regularly drink sugary drinks appear to have an increased risk of gout.
13. Sugar is associated with an increased risk of dementia
Dementia is a general term for the decline in brain function in the elderly. the most common form is Alzheimer's disease.
Studies have shown that any incremental increase in blood glucose is strongly associated with an increased risk of dementia. （64, 65)。
In other words, the higher your blood sugar, the higher your risk of developing dementia.
since sugary drinks cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly, it makes sense that they increase your risk of developing dementia.
rodent studies have shown that large doses of sugary drinks can impair memory and decision-making. （65）.
Summary: Some studies have shown that high blood sugar levels increase your risk of developing dementia.
Concluion:
Drinking large amounts of sugary drinks, such as sodas, can have a variety of adverse effects on your health.
these range from increasing the chance of tooth decay to increasing the risk of heart disease and metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes.
regular consumption of sugary sodas also appears to be a consistent risk factor for weight gain and obesity.
if you want to lose weight, avoid chronic diseases, and live longer, consider limiting your intake of sugary drinks.