• Do You Drink Soft Drinks or Water?

    Do You Drink Soft Drinks or Water?

    Do you know how many litres of soft drink we consume in Australia every yesterday?

    100 litres of soft drink per person per year! That’s roughly the same amount to fill a bath.

    The standard serving size for soft drink has also increased. Ten years ago, soft drink came in 375 ml cans, now soft drinks are commonly sold in 600 ml bottles, which provide up to 16 teaspoons of sugar.

    Side effects of diet soda: Kidney Problems

    In an 11-year-long Harvard Medical School study of more than 3,000 women, drinking more than two sodas a day, found that diet cola is associated with a two-fold increased risk for kidney decline. More interesting results: Since kidney decline was not associated with sugar-sweetened sodas, researchers suspect that the diet sweeteners are responsible.
    Messed-Up Metabolism
    A 2008 University of Minnesota study of almost 10,000 adults, fond that even just one diet soda a day is linked to a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome, symptoms include belly fat and high cholesterol which puts you at risk for heart disease.
    Obesity
    Diet soda doesn’t help you lose weight after all. A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. By drinking just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500%.
    Cell Damage
    Diet sodas contain  mold inhibitors which many regular sodas don’t. They also by the names sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate, and they’re in nearly all diet sodas.That’s bad news for diet drinkers. These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA. The preservative has also been linked to hives, asthma, and other allergic conditions.
    Rotting Teeth
    Diet soda is very acidic. Acid dissolves enamel. Soda drinkers had far greater decay, more missing teeth, and more fillings.
    Reproductive Issues
    Soft drink cans are coated with the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to everything from heart disease to obesity to reproductive problems.

    Here are a few alarming results from studies about “diet soft drinks”:

    • People who regularly consumed artificially sweetened beverages were at increased risk compared with those that did not.
    • The San-Antonio Heart Study of 1250 men and women found risk of weight gain and obesity were greater in those consuming artificially sweetened beverages than those who did not.
    • A European study of over 66,000 women and a health professionals study of around 40,000 men found the risk of Type 2 diabetes doubled for the heaviest drinkers of artificially sweetened beverages.
    • The Nurses Health Study which included over 88,000 women found the risk for type 2 diabetes was increased by consuming only one artificially sweetened beverage a day.
    • Based on US estimates, consuming one can of soft drink per day could lead to a 6.75 kg weight gain in a year


    So how do we make water more appealing? 

    Here are just a few benefits:

    1. Water helps energize muscles
    2. Keeps skin looking good
    3. Helps your kidneys function
    4. Helps with regular bowel function
    5. Helps control calories 
    6. Relieves fatigue
    7. Flushes out toxins
    8. Boost immune
    9. Natural headache remedy
    10. Saves money 
    11. Keeps your joints healthy and strong 

    Some great information on soft drinks can be read here – http://www.rethinksugarydrink.org.au/facts