As the temperature rises and thirst switches to ‘unbearable’ mode, do you reach out for a bottle of soft drink, iced tea or water?
Facts: What do we know about soft drinks?
- A typical 12-ounce can of regular soda contains approximately 10 teaspoons of sugar.
- Sugar-free drinks, which account for only 14% of all soft drink consumption in the US, are less harmful. However, they are acidic and can still cause problems.
- The phosphorus content of soft drinks may reduce calcium absorption and contribute to osteoporosis.
- People who consume sugary drinks regularly—1 to 2 cans a day or more—have a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who rarely have such drinks.
- A 22-year study of 80,000 women found that those who consumed a can a day of sugary drink had a 75% higher risk of gout than women who rarely had such drinks.
- People who drink sugared drinks do not feel as full as if they had eaten the same calories from solid food and do not compensate by eating less.
- 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—on average, an extra pound every 4 years—than people who did not change their intake.
- A study that followed 40,000 men for 20 years found that those who averaged a daily can of a sugary beverage had a 20% higher risk of having a heart attack or dying from a heart attack than men who rarely consumed sugary drinks.
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