Soft drinks -- soda and other sugary drinks such as sweetened iced tea, fruit drinks and energy drinks -- add sugar and calories to your diet without providing much, if any, nutrition. While just one 12 oz. soda contains approximately 8 tsp. of sugar, the recommended daily limit for women equals 6 tsp. and for men equals 9 tsp., MayoClinic.com says. Most Americans average 22 tsp.of sugar per day. Too much sugar in your diet may lead to health problems.
Overweight Children
Soda and other sweetened beverages are significant factors in the increased rate of childhood obesity, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea and high blood pressure. Adolescents get 15 tsp. of sugar per day from soft drinks, which makes up approximately 11 percent of their total calories, according to the NetWellness website. Excess sugar can also come from juices. Ounce for ounce, cranberry juice cocktail has more sugar than soda, and orange juice has the same amount, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Harvard recommends that sweetened beverages should be drunk rarely or not at all.
Metabolic Syndrome
If you're a middle-aged adult who drinks more than one soft drink daily, your risk of heart disease may increase. When three out of the five factors of metabolic syndrome are present -- increased waist circumference, elevated blood sugar, triglycerides and blood pressure and a low level of HDL cholesterol -- heart disease risk goes up, according to the Framingham Heart Study, "Soft Drink Consumption and Risk of Developing Cardio-Metabolic Risk Factors and the Metabolic Syndrome in Middle Aged Adults in the Community." Unexpectedly, researchers found diet soda drinkers also at increased risk. They speculate it may be due to the fact that those who consume soft drinks regularly also get less exercise and eat diets higher in fats and calories. Metabolic syndrome also indicates and increased risk for diabetes.
Diabetes Risk
Tossing back just one soft drink per day, whether regular or artificially sweetened, can elevate your risk of type 2 diabetes by 15 percent, according to a Harvard study reported by AARP. Two soft drinks per day can increase your risk to 26 percent. Although type 2 diabetes was once rare in children, the rate is now 30 to 50 percent, according to Dr. Gerald Bernstein of New York's Beth Israel Medical Center. Type 2 diabetes -- which can lead to cognitive decline, dementia and heart and kidney disease -- is linked to repeatedly overloading the body with large amounts of simple sugars, the type found in soft drinks.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: How Sweet Is It?
- NetWellness: Many Reasons for Childhood Obesity
- NIH News: Framingham Observational Study Notes Greater Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome Among Adults Consuming Soft Drinks
- AARP: Sodas and Other Sweet Drinks Raise the Risk of Diabetes
- The Franklin Institute: Nourish -- Carbohydrates Fuel Your Brain
- MayoClinic.com: Added Sugar: Don't Get Sabotaged by Sweeteners
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