One of the worst beverages ever invented is the soda pop, also known as soft drink. It is a proven health hazard. ‘Soft drinks contain little to no vitamins or other essential nutrients. However, it is what they do contain that is the problem: caffeine, carbonation, simple sugars — or worse, sugar substitutes — and often food additives such as artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives.’

Consumption of soft drinks in high quantity leads to various ill-health concerns such as tooth decay, nutritional depletion, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease. ’Most soft drinks contain a high amount of simple sugars. The USDA recommendation of sugar consumption for a 2,000-calorie diet is a daily allotment of 10 teaspoons of added sugars. Many soft drinks contain more than this amount.’

Consuming one or more soft drinks a day, whether diet or regular variety, will lead to a ‘30% greater chance of weight gain around the belly.’ The artificial sweeteners in diet soda such as aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin also pose a health threat. ‘Saccharin, for instance, has been found to be carcinogenic, and studies have found that it produced bladder cancer in rats.’ On the other hand, aspartame has been linked to obesity. Commonly known as nutrasweet, it is a chemical that stimulates the brain to think the food is sweet. ‘The process of stimulating the brain causes more cravings for sweets and leads to carbohydrate loading.’

The carbonation in soft drinks also poses a health risk. The bubbles in carbonated drinks contain phosphoric acid that can ‘severely deplete the blood calcium levels.’

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Via Yahoo! Health