Do you drink soda on a daily basis? Believe it or not, just one can of Coca-Cola per day could be enough to do damage to your body. It’s recommended that we don’t consume more than 36 grams of sugar per day. A 12oz can of Coca Cola contains 39 grams, already topping the daily limit. Consume multiple cans per day along with other sugary foods, and you could easily be consuming several times the amount recommended.
Just what happens to your body when you regularly exceed the limit? There are a few possible negative side effects. Below are 6 of the biggest dangers.
Weight gain
Soda drinks can cause weight gain due to a number of reasons. The first reason is that excess sugar typically gets converted into fat – unless you’re exercising a lot, the sugar isn’t going to be converted into energy and will simply be converted into fatty acids instead in the liver before being stored around the body. Another reason soda causes weight gain is because it causes hunger. This applies to both sugary and sugar-free soda drinks which both release ghrelin (the hunger hormone) as a result of the CO2 in them.
Diabetes
There is a strong link between people who regularly drink soda drinks and people who develop type-2 diabetes. When we consume sugar, our pancreas produces insulin, which helps to control blood sugar levels. Regular consumption of sugar can put a strain on the pancreas by causing high blood sugar levels. Eventually the pancreas stops producing insulin properly (i.e. diabetes), allowing blood sugar levels to go out of control.
Fatty liver disease
Excess sugar is converted into fat in the liver. If you’re constantly drinking soda drinks, the liver has to work overtime to convert all this sugar into fatty oils. While some of these fatty oils are sent around the body and stored in other places, a lot of this fat stays in the liver itself. This in turn can cause the liver to stop functioning properly – which is bad news for your entire body. You can learn more about fatty liver disease here at Mayo Clinic.
Tooth decay
Possibly the most obvious negative side effect of drinking too much soda is tooth decay. Sugary soda drinks are more likely to cause tooth decay as they increase bacteria levels in the mouth, however non-sugar soda drinks can still damage teeth due to containing acids. It is worth visiting a professional dentist such as Bella Vista Dental for treatment if you suspect that you have tooth decay.
Heart disease
Sugar causes insulin spikes, which lead to inflammation around your body. This inflammation in turn can cause stress on your heart. Excess sugar consumption also leads to weight gain, which is also not good for the heart. As a result, it’s easy to see why drinking lots of soda could put you at greater risk of heart disease as it is typically full of sugar.
Cancer
Drinking soda may not directly cause cancer. However, because it increases the risk of weight gain, and being overweight can increase your risk of cancers, it could be a contributing factor.
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