The Dangers Of Drinking Soda's Bad Habits

“Americans drink 13.15 billion gallons of carbonated drinks every year” Marion Nestle. Most of these carbonated drinks are different types of soda, which when boiled down leaves behind a tar that causes things as stroke, obesity, and heart disease. They have been taught all of their lives that it’s okay to drink soda from advertisements on the television and magazines, or from people around them, but have been told to avoid alcohol whether in school health class, by family members, or by advertisements on the television, which in moderation can lower the risk of both heart disease and stroke. Both alcohol and soda can cause major health problems, however the strokes and obesity from soda consumption

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 consumption can lead to numerous, serious health issues. It can decrease calcium absorption in the intestines. Calcium is necessary not only for keeping our bones strong, but also to help our nerves send messages to our brain and muscles contract. Less calcium can lead low bone density and fractured bones. Soda consumption can lead to health issues such as obesity and diabetes. The more soda consumed the higher insulin level. High insulin levels can result in visceral fat gain, leading to America’s major problem; obesity. 24.1% of Californians are obese and 18.4% are obese in Cupertino. Although our body needs cholesterol to function like anything, too much can be harmful. High cholesterol can clog the coronary arteries, which surround and supply the heart. The outcome of high cholesterol is heart disease. Another health issue which can occur if consumption of soda is very high is diabetes. Diabetes occurs when the body can’t produce enough insulin or can’t use the insulin the body produces properly. The higher the consumption of SSB(Sugar sweetened beverages) the higher chance of getting diabetes. Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, says that "the people getting diabetes are people who consume very high levels of SSBs and have only slightly reduced in these very high levels of their soda consumption."

Recently, people have become worried about the health issues associated with consuming sugary drinks, especially soda. The rate of people being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease has been going up primarily because of beverages with added sugar (Cited in Crawford, 2016). Several studies have found that soda is linked to over 180,000 deaths per year (Cited in Crawford, 2016). An article by the Huffington Post (2011) said that an average American drinks about 44.7 gallons of carbonated beverages a year, which adds up to over 350 pounds of soda. Comparatively, in 2005 an average American drank only 0.5 gallons, making soft drinks the most consumed beverage in America (n/a, 2011). The way the government is trying to fix

A single can of soda can have at least ten teaspoons of sugar, that is already the daily maximum recommended intake. Sugar can increase cholesterol levels, heart disease, diabetes and weight gain.Moreover. The obesity is a colossal problem in America. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 35.9% of U.S. adults over the age of twenty are obese (CDC, 2013). The CDC also notes that 69.2% of U.S. adults twenty years of age and over are overweight. The obesity problem does not only affect adults in the U.S. The CDC notes that 18.4% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 are currently obese (CDC, 2013). These numbers show the harshness of the obesity problem in this

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.

"WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco” (Tama, M., 2015). Will this warning detour the American public from drinking sugary beverages? In 2011-2013, the Center for Disease Control reported that two states Colorado and Hawaii had less than 20% obesity. The Midwest led the country with a 28.7% obesity rate. When surveyed again in 2013, the South now leads the countries obesity epidemic with 30.2 % and the Midwest comes in a close second with 30.1%. There are no longer any states that fall beneath the 20% threshold (Obesity Prevalence Maps, 2013). With obesity rates rising, researchers are focusing on what leads to these statistics so that it can be reversed. These startling statistics requires action to be taken to reverse this growing epidemic. Obesity, Tooth decay, and Type 2 Diabetes have been linked to negative side effects of sugary beverages. As a leader in healthcare, Mayo Clinic should remove sugary drinks and foods from their hospitals, clinics, and health systems to model healthy living.

Obesity is a condition caused in various ways. The number one cause of obesity is above average sugar consumption. According to the health documentary, “Fed Up”, the suggested amount of sugar intake per day is 4-6 tsp.; however, the average American consumes about 41 tsp. A common misconception is that obesity is caused by calories from fats; this is because when looking for a cause of obesity, researchers misconstrued fat caused by sugar to instead be caused by calories. This caused a “less fat” phenomenon and the food industry fooled consumers by putting the term less fat on their product. When that term is put on a food product, it typically means that in order to make the food have its delectable taste, the company adds more sugar. Sugar affects the body because once it gets ingested the sugar, or glucose, travels through the bloodstream until eventually the glucose reaches the pancreas. The human pancreas senses high blood sugar levels, causing it to secrete insulin, which will send the excess sugar back into other cells so that the other cells can use the glucose as energy, but the excess sugar after that process must be stored somewhere so it gets stored inside fat cells thus resulting in weight gain. A main issue with above average sugar consumption is the addictive factor to it. According to Fed Up, sugar is 8x more addictive than cocaine. Extremely large amounts of added sugar are found in carbonated soda beverages and while drinking soda in moderation is all right, drinking these sugary beverages can put one at risk of many health issues. Another cause of obesity is unhealthy lunch options in schools. In World War II potential military recruits had to be turned down for the army because they were malnourished. In response to this issue President Truman

There’s a consistent flood of warnings these days about the widespread habit of drinking sugar-laden soda, with most focusing on obesity-related health issues.

Those figures include teens who consumed little or no soda pop. For the average 13- to 18-year-old boy or girl drinker, soft drinks provide about 9% of calories. Boys and girls in the 75th percentile of consumption obtained 12% of their calories from soft drinks, and those in the 90th percentile about 18% of their calories." (USDA) As much as this world revolves around weight and looks, it seems that by giving up a soda or two per day would be a very smart start towards that "diet" that many of us are looking for. By giving up this one beverage, and not replacing it with something as sugary, it would be a big step in the right direction for people who are not happy with the way that they look. Many nutritionists state that soft drinks and other calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods can fit into a good diet. In theory, they are correct, but, regrettably, they ignore the fact that most Americans consume great quantities of soft drinks and meager quantities of healthful foods. One

Nowadays, Americans are facing the danger of being overweight. The article Bad Food? Tax It, and Subsidize Vegetables written by Mark Bittman highlights that “one third of all Americans either have diabetes or are pre-diabetic.” The fat in our body cannot be formed in one day or two. Instead, it is the result of constantly unhealthy eating habit. The author of Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause stated that “Energy intake rose because of environmental push factors, i.e., increasing available, cheap, tasty, highly promoted obesogenic foods.” Additionally, according to Bittman, “The average American consumes 44.7 gallons of soft drink；s annually.” The fact that Americans like soft drinks and food that are high in calories is irreversible, but we can do something to change this situation.

Soda companies “dramatically announced that they would aim to cut the number of sugary drinks calories by twenty percent over the next ten years by reducing the portion size and trying to sell more zero-calorie and low calorie options.” By reducing the portion size, Americans could be drinking more cans, and possibly drinking more ounces than they were originally. As for the zero-calorie and low calorie options, the drinks are considered by doctors to be worst than the original because they contain artificial sweeteners that are not ‘natural sugars’, but chemically made sugars that puts an individual at greater risk of being morbidly obese by slowing their metabolisms, and is also known to elevate their blood pressure. Mexico’s soda consumption and obesity rate was once worst than the United States a few years ago, Mexico then established “a significant tax on soda and junk food.. Soda consumption in Mexico fell by a couple of percent points almost immediately.. there was almost as large increase in the sale of bottled water (not taxed).” Mexico had went ahead with its initiative to stop their nation’s problem, as for the United States, soda has become a major part of our diets. I believe that is restricting us from progressing from this aggravated problem.

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

This is not meant to hint that coke is a healthy alternative to diet coke because, truthfully, neither are the answer. The average diet in today’s society demonstrates the quick and substantial increase in obesity. People are eating dinner from gas stations rather than a home cooked meal, choosing soda over water and are snacking more often than ever. These everyday activities are what we call “predisposing factors” to health issues. The specific pre-disposing factors in question here may lead to type 2 diabetes, hypertension, lipid problems, heart disease, Fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, cancers and dementia. The sum of the costs for these 8 diseases accounts for 75% of global healthcare. In the film The Skinny on Obesity, Dr. Robert Lustig states that 2010 was actually the first year that data showed that there was a decrease in mean life span by three months, due in part to these conditions (Lustig 2012). That marks the first time in the history of the world that lifespan began to go down instead of up. One common misconception about our consumption is that fat is the worse ingredient in food. It is, in fact, sugar. Sugar is 50 times more potent than other calories and is partly fat in of its self. For this reason, it is wrong to think that 100 calories from Oreos are equal to 100 calories from carrots because the detrimental differences in physiological effects that they have. This may seem obvious but the fact that sugar

One fundamental cause of obesity is diet. Adolescence is perfect example of this. Students might have breakfast and lunch at schools. The vast majority of students’ lunches often consist of crisps, chocolate bars and soft drinks, which are high energy foods and due to unbalance energy. (Oliver, 2010). According to research, 25% teenagers are already obese. (ibid). To save money or reduce expenses, schools provide unhealthy foods or junk foods. When soft drinks which were coca cola came into the global economy, drinking soft drinks became popular in schools. The data gives a detailed situation. If a student only has one tin of coca he might has 8 tablespoons of sugar and the rest can be done in the same manner one, a month is 240 tablespoons sugar from drinks. (ibid). Frequent, red meat, large meals high in refined grains, sugary drinks, unhealthy fats are typical Western diet. (Harvard School of Public Health, 2014).