Diet Pop And Its Effects On Human Health

Sugary beverages suggest a poor dietary quality; they are loaded with added sugars and attribute to the body’s energy density. “A 20-year study on 120,000 men and women found that people who increased their sugary drink consumption by one 12-ounce serving per day gained more weight over time—about 4 pounds per year” (19). Through increasing the daily intake in trivial increments, the body substantially results in an increased BMI (body mass index) and an increased body fat percentage score. Another study conducted at Harvard found that a 60 percent increase occurs in children for each 12-ounce they additionally drink daily. (________) The growing correlation between obesity and sugar has led to further studies, and statistical data. Researchers have revealed that in total, “half the people in the U.S. consume sugary drinks; 1 in 4 get at least 200 calories from such drinks; and 5% get at least 567 calories.” It was additionally found that one-fourth of Americans are consuming more than 135 grams of sugar per day from soda and other sweetened beverages, which compares to people of the past who only had 10 grams of fructose a day (_____). Such a high daily intake of sugar and calories illustrates the risk that arises when people consume too much sugar; that is, sugary drinks result in weight issues and medical consequences.

“Soda pop has become a firmly entrenched staple of the American diet and as American as

There is a lot of High Fructose Corn Syrup, the sugar of choice, in regular sodas. People started finding out about how bad sugar is for them and how much sugar was really in their favorite every day drink. Everyone started turning against all of the soda companies and they had no choice but to come up with an alternative. So, instead of using natural sugar or High Fructose Corn Syrup in sodas, scientists invented artificial sweeteners, a way to keep the soda sweet yet contain no sugar. Artificial sweeteners like Aspartame that are added to diet soda are actually worse for us than the sugar that is in regular soda. This was proven by an Osteopathic Physician from the American Colledge of Nutrition who states, "While many of the artificial sweeteners have reportedly similar side effects, aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA" (Mercola).

The impact sugary sodas have on our bodies is known by everybody. But this didn’t stop people consume large quantities of sugary beverages. This is what the change observed in the consumption of such drinks appears to be curious. In accordance with the report, the average American has cut down on soda consumption by 25 percent in the last 25 years.

Most all sodas or soft drinks consist of the basic, carbonated water, sugar, and caffeine. Colas, in particular, were originally just a mixture of extracts of the coca leaf and the cola nut blended with sugar water (1). Though, nowadays, the natural sugars that were originally used, have been replaced by high fructose corn syrup. According to ConsumerReports.org,in 2009 the average american consumed approximately 35.7 pounds of high fructose corn syrup showing the great prevalence of this overused, unhealthy ingredient (3). Though, why would so many producers put an ingredient so detrimental to the consumer’s health in their products? High fructose corn syrup is not only cheaper than organic sugars, but it is also sweeter meaning much less

Karen Congro, the director of the Wellness for Life Club program at the Brooklyn Hospital Center and nutritionist stated that long-term effects of aspartame in humans have not been studied . So from a marketing standpoint Pepsi’s switch away from aspartame may benefit their falling rates. In contrast, Diet Coke still only uses aspartame in their diet soda product. Though their advertising does not consistently, directly address the aspartame in their products, Diet Coke in 2013 defended their use of aspartame by stating in an ad that studies over the last 40 years has not discovered negative effects of aspartame . Interesting, today in 2015, 61 percent of Americans rely on online, websites or social media apps: Twitter, Snapchat, etc.—media reports—for their news . While 38 percent of Americans receive their news from offline sources, like newspapers, journals, etc. . Therefore, individuals should be wary that both journals and media reports, particularly the latter, may be withholding significant details or exaggerating scientific results in order to persuade the

Aspartame is found in over 6000 products that are on our supermarket shelves, it goes by the brand names of Equal, and Nutra Sweet. First one would have to look at why aspartame came to be in over 6000 products world wide. In today 's society everybody is looking for that short cut, that way eating anything they want and staying thin and healthy. So instead of skipping the cookies we now reach for "sugar-free" cookies, and Diet soda so we can still eat what we want without all the calories. In a society where obesity is on the rise, there is a huge market for products like aspartame. Aspartame gives you all the sweetness you want without all the calories you don’t want. So if it says "sugar-free" or a diet product chances are aspartame is in it. This paper intends to look into how aspartame was discovered, the steps the company took to seek the approved to use in dry goods and eventually in soft drinks, and the controversy surrounding its approval, as well as the side effects of using aspartame along with how consumers are being affected by it and what companies are doing as a result of how consumers are reacting to it.

Sweetness has been the obsession that affected humans for many years. It is the satisfaction that people seem to like, however, there might be a downfall to this addiction with sugar. There have been studies that claimed that the obesity rates in America have increased dramatically for over the past 20 years (Eatwell.com, 2012). Obesity rates have increased by double that it has made it to the top three health concerns in America. Experts are trying to find out what causes obesity. Moreover, there are studies that linked with drinking large amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages that a child can risk obesity. This might possibly prove that obesity can be caused by sugar-sweetened food.

It is very common for people to be obese or overweight now a days then it was before. The number of obese Americans has increased dramatically over the last 40 years (Mantel). This epidemic has led people all around the nation to find a way to reduce obesity . One of the biggest questions surrounding obesity is, why obesity been so prevalent today than it was 50 years ago. The answer? Simple, It has been shown that soda has been the great contributor to obesity by far. Back in in the 1900’s soda was seen as a luxury or a threat. In today’s age, Soda is an everyday drink. Another factor is that sizes of soda have gotten larger over the years. In the 1950s the 12-ounce can was introduced and it became widely available in 1960. Thirty years later the 20-ounce plastic bottles were seen as the regular sized bottle. Now, soda comes in plastic bottles which are available larger sizes,such as the 1.25-liter (“Sugary Drinks and Obesity Fact Sheet”). Lastly, the biggest factor of them all, the amount of sugar soda. The amount a single can of soda contains is roughly about 39 grams of sugar. Converting those grams of sugar to teaspoons, one consumes about 9.75 teaspoons per can. According to

A comparison between the results of the two different studies shows that there are negative effects of drinking soda. In the article, “Drinking Soda as an Adolescent May Damage Memory” it described the negative effects of drinking soda as damaging to your memory. For example, in the article, it says, “Drinking too many sugary drinks as an adolescent can lead to poorer memory function.“ This shows that soda leads to poorer memory function, therefore having a negative effect on your health. In the other article,”Big beverage still wants you to think soda is healthy” it shows that soda has negative effects on your health because it can actually lead to diabetes and obesity. According to the article,”In the decades that followed,

Those who oppose diet pop would argue that they are bitter, bland, or “taste like water,” yet consistent diet drinkers completely disagree. Even if diet drinkers agree with other’s thoughts about the taste, they certainly feel that those small issues are worth the added benefits that diet pop brings. Such as the whole “diet” aspect of the soft drink, no sugar or calories, or the lower acidity of the drink, which saves their teeth. Diet pop is truly the best option for the everyday pop drinker both to trim the pounds and stay healthier, all while enjoying the sweet, carbonated beverage.

In diet pops, aspartame is used as a substitute for real sugar, and it can over time be very harmful to our bodies. It has been linked to almost a hundred different health problems including seizures, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, diabetes, and

In the article “What Do You Mean Pop Tarts Are Not Healthy?”, the author Michele Cheplic, a dietitian who knows unhealthy foods all too well, states, “Foods such as Pop-Tarts and high sugar cereals have been proven to cause

Since 1980, the worldwide obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type II diabetes figures have more than doubled, affecting the overall global health of the population. According to Egger et al., (2013) a critical factor in these increases is the high consumption of carbonated soft drinks and sugary fruit drinks. Sanjay et al., (2013, 2077) suggested the requirement for stronger preventive measures to rescue the health of the global population, surmising the need for greater education and transparent nature of the ingredients will aid influence behavioural changes.

Considering that soft drinks are one of the most popular drinks to a lot of people all around the world, unfortunately, a lot of them love to drink it almost every day and may not live without it. Soda becomes addictive, preventing one from drinking what the body needs the most which is water. In the market, there is a infinite amount of choices with multiple varieties of flavors, different tastes, ranges from classic soda to diet soda. However, consumers do not recognize clearly the negative effect of soft drinks that have a high chance of eroding their health away. Some of these examples include dental erosion, energy intake, obesity and other health issues. Nowadays, people live a healthy life to avoid health problems, so taxes on soft