Many experts say that the abuse of carbonated beverages is dangerous to health. In terms of calories, carbonated drinks are ahead of white bread, as they contain a lot of sugar.
Carbonated drinks are considered to be one of the most harmful drinks we consume. A small bottle of sweetened carbonated drink can hold up to sixteen tablespoons of sugar in the form of corn syrup.
Such a syrup usually contains a mixture of forty-five percent glucose and fifty-five percent fructose. But some drinks are based on a syrup with sixty-five percent fructose.
When you drink such a sweetened drink, your pancreas begins to produce insulin at a high rate, because it reacts to the sugar, which has entered the body.
As a result, the sugar level rises sharply. Here's what happens when you drink a sweet fizzy drink:
After twenty minutes, your blood sugar reaches a high level and your liver responds by turning sugar into fat.
After another twenty minutes, the absorption of caffeine in the drink ends, your pupils dilate, blood pressure rises, the liver excretes sugar into the blood.
After another five minutes, your body increases the production of dopamine - a hormone that stimulates the pleasure centers in the brain. The reaction is similar after drug use.
After another fifteen minutes, your blood sugar drops sharply, causing you to feel like drinking a glass of carbonated drink again.
Fructose is converted to fat faster than other sugars. It is more dangerous, because it is not processed by the liver, but only turns into fat.
One glass of carbonated drink may contain enough caffeine to cause insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, high blood cholesterol.
Why should we stop consuming carbonated drinks?
They contain refined sugar
These drinks do not contain nutrients (vitamins or minerals) and most are made from filtered water and refined sugars.
They cause obesity
Daily consumption of 330 ml of carbonated beverages leads to weight gain of 500 g for one month.
According to studies, the relationship between weight gain and carbonated beverages is so close that after each glass consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times.
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes is associated with weight gain and obesity because products that promote weight gain increase the risk of developing diabetes.
Carbonated drinks not only promote weight gain, but also affect the body's ability to process sugar.
Risk of osteoporosis
According to experts, the acidity of these drinks reduces bone density and promotes calcium loss from the body, which increases the risk of osteoporosis.
At the same time, high sodium intake in children is a risk factor for normal bone structure.
In 1950, children drank 3 glasses of milk for one glass of carbonated drink; today the ratio is reversed - 3 glasses of carbonated drinks for every glass of milk.
Tooth decay
According to scientists, carbonated drinks are responsible for doubling or tripling the incidence of caries, because they attack and corrode the tooth enamel.
The acid in the drinks causes more damage to the teeth than the hard sugar contained in the candies!
Kidney disease
Researchers have shown that by consuming large amounts of carbonated beverages, the risk of developing kidney stones is very high due to the acidity of these products and radical mineral imbalances.
High blood pressure
Intake of large amounts of fructose, which is found especially in soft drinks, causes an increase in blood pressure.
Cause heartburn
Soft drinks are the main risk factor for heartburn.
Metabolic Syndrome
Soft drinks are a major risk factor for the development of metabolic syndrome - manifested by: high blood pressure, obesity, hypercholesterolemia and insulin resistance.
Cirrhosis of the liver
There is evidence that frequent consumption of soft drinks increases the risk of liver cirrhosis, similar to alcohol consumption.
Gas formation
Phosphoric acid in carbonated beverages competes with hydrochloric acid in the stomach, affecting its functions and this way food remains undigested and problems such as digestion, intestinal gas, bloating occur.
Dehydration
Carbonated drinks have diuretic properties, leading to dehydration. Caffeine is a diuretic that causes an increase in urine volume. High sugar levels cause water retention in the body, because the kidneys seek to eliminate excess sugar from the blood. This way, when you consume a glass of carbonated drink to quench your thirst, you will find that the effect will be just the opposite!
Contains caffeine
Another reason that should make you give up fizzy drinks is the desire to avoid unnecessary caffeine consumption. High doses of caffeine cause: irritability, high blood pressure, insomnia, digestive disorders, arrhythmias and more.
Aspartame
The toxic substance in carbonated beverages is an artificial sweetener called aspartame.
Aspartame is produced from 3 chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. Although it has over 92 side effects, aspartame is often added to food, because it is 200 times sweeter than normal sugar.
Cell damage
According to recent studies, carbonated beverages cause severe cell damage; The preservative E211 (sodium benzoate) contained in these drinks has the ability to destroy vital parts of the DNA.
Healthy alternatives to carbonated beverages
Fortunately, there are many substitutes for carbonated beverages, which do not endanger health due to their rich content of essential vitamins and minerals. These alternatives include:
- water;
- fruit juice - 100% natural;
- fresh lemonade;
- herbal tea;
- homemade iced tea;
- fruit nectar;
- milk;
- homemade ayran;
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