Researchers, public health experts, and physicians have identified what they believe is a major
culprit in harming people's health throughout the world: soda. Though drinking soda has
harmful effects, science shows they can be reversed. Here's what happens when you stop
drinking it.
Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages like energy drinks and fruit juices have an effect
on every part of your body, especially the brain. While the body naturally releases chemicals
to remind us we need to do some essential maintenance, soda inhibits one of those important
reminders, the one we need to sleep.
A key ingredient in soda is caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant, which many of us love because
it keeps us awake during those two-hour staff meetings. But that Diet Coke you had during
your meeting could be keeping you up at night. According to the National Sleep Foundation,
moderate caffeine usage can cause insomnia and sleep disturbances. They noted that it
takes as long as 6 hours to get rid of just half the caffeine in your system, so, if you
want the best night's sleep you can get, stop drinking soda in the late afternoon.
Because of the caffeine and other ingredients in soda, it has an adverse impact on how your
heart functions. Caffeine may increase blood flow to the skin and extremities, blood pressure,
blood sugar, body temperature, heart rate, stomach acid secretion, and urine production,
as noted by the University of Michigan's University Health Service. The more soda you drink, the
greater your risk of having a heart attack, at least that's what researchers at the Harvard
School of Public Health say.
In a 22-year study of more than 40,000 men that was published in April 2012, researchers
found those who drank a sugar-sweetened drink like soda every day could increase their risk
of having a heart attack by 19 percent. Those who had soda more than three times a week
had an even higher risk. The researchers wrote that reduced intake of sugar-sweetened beverages
saw significant weight loss, lowered blood pressure, and reduced risk of cardiovascular
disease. That's a good argument for the decision to stop your soda habit.
Researchers at University of California, San Francisco found that drinking soda causes
premature skin aging. In a five-year study of more than 5,000 adults that was published
in The American Journal of Public Health in 2014, researchers found that people who drank
more sugar-sweetened beverages had shorter telomeres, which are the ends of chromosomes.
Think of them like the plastic caps at the end of your shoelaces; they exist to protect
the chromosome. As time goes on, the telomeres naturally shorten, just as your lace caps
will eventually begin to fray.
However, soda consumption and bad habits increase the odds that your telomeres will shrink.
Making good choices regarding your diet and the activities you do can reduce the rate
of telomere shortening or at least prevent excessive telomere weakening. Protect your
chromosomes and put down the pop.
It's pretty much a no-brainer that soda, diet or otherwise, isn't so great for your teeth.
Soda is acidic, and the acids in the soda eat away at enamel, causing tooth decay and
cavities.
In a Chinese study on the effects of soda consumption on oral health that was published
in 2009, researchers wrote,
"It is necessary to educate patients about the harmful effects of excessive soft drink
consumption."
They went on to say that dentists should advise patients to limit soda intake and to drink
less erosive soft drinks like unsweetened iced tea and iced coffee. The researchers
also advised that patients should avoid brushing their teeth within one hour of consuming acidic
food and using fluoride and remineralizing toothpaste.
You might not be able to achieve the luscious hair seen in hair commercials without the
help of professional hairstylists, but, if you stop drinking soda, you could boost your
hair health.
According to Panos Vasiloudes, a dermatologist and the medical director of hair loss clinic
Harklinikken, high sugar intake from things like soda can indirectly cause hair loss.
It might sound like a leap, but it actually makes sense. Sugar affects the hormones in
your body, specifically those that cause hair thinning. So, it is believed if you control
the amount of sugar you take into your body, then you can help control the amount of these
hormones and, hopefully, the amount of hair on the top of your head. Vasiloudes noted,
"Everyone should recognize the power of eating real food and can use diet as a powerful weapon
against thin hair."
It's no surprise that drinking sugary drinks like soda causes weight gain. So, if you hope
to lose a few pounds, eliminating soda can do the trick.
Two studies have found that swapping soda for a healthier beverage option can lead to
some weight loss. The first study, published in the journal Pediatrics in 2006, showed
moderate body weight reduction when a group of teens were given a noncaloric beverage
to replace sugar-sweetened beverages.
The second study, which was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in
2012, involved overweight and obese adults. That study found that replacing caloric beverages
with water resulted in 2 to 2.5 percent weight loss. That's a pretty big impact for just
a few easy changes!
Given that many sodas contain both caffeine and sugar, you might be tempted to think soda
would be good for a kick of energy, right? Wrong, according to registered dietitian Hayley
Cimring. She told The List,
"Many people have turned to soda for an energy boost, but the drop in energy after the soda
wears off will leave you feeling fatigued. This will only lead to further cravings."
And that's how you can end up drinking soda after soda just to maintain a baseline. The
same applies to diet soda as well, as Cimring said it can have a significant impact on your
sense of satiety. She continued,
"When you take in something exceedingly sweet, and those artificial sweeteners in diet soda
are from 400 times to 8,000 times sweeter than sugar, it can send you searching for
more food, out of lack of satisfaction."
Part of the reason so many people drink soda is because it tastes good, so consuming it
is a pleasant experience. But if you're hip to the dangers of sugar, you might instead
reach for a diet soda, thinking that it's going to reduce your risk of developing some
of those sugar-related conditions. Can't hurt, right?
However, diet soda comes with its own risks, according to Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean
of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. He told Men's
Health,
"Long term, drinking an intensely sweet drink with no calories can change taste preferences
and unconscious desire for eating. Will an apple taste sweet anymore? Will a carrot taste
sweet anymore?"
Unfortunately for the sweetener-trained tongue, no. But there's good news, you can undo the
damage when you stop drinking soda, and eventually your taste buds will revert to the way they
were before. Imagine how good fruit will taste again!
While giving up soda is good for your body in a myriad of ways, that doesn't mean that
doing so is easy or without effort, it actually can be quite difficult. Additionally, some
of the impacts of ditching your dew can be fairly unpleasant out of the gate, especially
if your preferred beverage has both caffeine and sugar.
One less-than-pleasant change that happens to your body will take place in your brain,
as noted by Dr. Mike Dow, a psychotherapist and nutrition expert. He explained to Bustle:
"Your brain was...getting both serotonin and dopamine from the sugar and caffeine, respectively.
So, you'll be irritable and get headaches and really be craving that soda."
Fortunately, both the moodiness and the cravings don't last forever, and eventually your body
will adjust to your new and healthier lifestyle. So, just remember, there is a light at the
end of the tunnel.
"Stop protecting me, I'm a man, I can protect myself, this is misdirected anger, and I'm
sorry, I don't mean to lash out at you, there's a lot coming up right now, all at once."
It's not just caffeine and sugar that keeps you reaching for soda time after time. It's
also the pleasant experience that comes with the carbonation, which is addictive in and
of itself.
So in addition to the pick-me-up and flavor boost of colas, you might also find yourself
jonesing for the bubbly goodness if you give up soda, says registered dietitian Amanda
A. Kostro Miller. She told us that fortunately, there's an easy fix:
"You can have a few different cravings for soda when you cut it out of your diet. Many
of my clients ultimately crave the carbonation, which can be remedied fairly easily with seltzer
water."
Are you someone who always manages to catch the cold that's going around, or are prone
to getting the flu without fail? Believe it or not, you might want to cut soda out of
your diet if that's the case. You may just find that your immune system improves when
you jettison your pop habit.
So what exactly does soda have to do with your tendency to get sick? Plenty, as noted
by Cimring. She told us,
"Sodas are especially treacherous for your gut. Research has found that sugar and artificial
sweeteners affect your healthy gut bacteria, which can affect how your immune system works
and how your body responds to infection."
While giving up soda for good is no substitute for good hygiene practices or the proper medicine,
it can give you a leg up in the battle against bacteria and viruses nonetheless. It can't
hurt, right?
Have you ever heard that you need to drink eight glasses of water every day to stay properly
hydrated? While Healthline says that isn't exactly the case, that doesn't mean cola should
be your go-to beverage. Water is still your best bet, but here's the thing: you may find
it to be a pretty boring option, especially if you're used to the flavor of soda.
But, there's good news! There are ways to spice things up, says Kostro Miller. She told
The List,
"Some people may also prefer soda to regular water because they just don't like the taste
of water. This can be remedied easily by adding natural flavors to your water (i.e. lemon
juice, cucumber)."
"This could be the last bottle of Blue Dog in California. Check it out!"
"Uh-huh."
"Wait, what are you..."
A surprising thing about soda is the impact that it can have on your brain health. Unfortunately,
some of the news on this front isn't very good, as Cimring notes:
"Researchers have found that consuming excess sugar in soda leads to a decrease in the amounts
of a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This may affect your ability
to learn and remember things."
That's not the full extent of it either, as Cimring says there are additional problems
your pop habit can wreak on your noggin. She adds that other studies have found a link
between soda consumption and various types of dementia. So if you're concerned about
potential memory loss, or you have a history of Alzheimer's disease in your family, you
may want to stop drinking soda on a regular basis.
There are some topics that don't exactly make for good dinner table conversation, and your
restroom habits are one of them. But as it turns out, if you stop drinking soda, then
you may just make fewer stops in the bathroom, says registered dietitian Sofia Norton. She
told The List,
"The reason behind that frequent feeling of wanting to urinate is caffeine, which is in
soda and other beverages like coffee and tea."
It's not just eliminating all the caffeine that's good for your bladder, as ditching
both sodas and diet sodas can have another huge benefit, according to Norton. She continued:
"Quitting soda, including diet soda, also reduces your risk for bladder cancer. Several
studies have shown that artificial sweeteners, when consumed too often, is associated with
an increased cancer risk."
Bear in mind that consuming artificial sweeteners in reasonable quantities is perfectly safe,
as noted by the Mayo Clinic. The key is moderation.
Do you have dreams of one day retiring with your spouse and finally taking that trip around
the world? Are you really looking forward to your golden years when having to work will
be a distant memory? Spoiler alert: If you say goodbye to your soda habit, you might
be more likely to do that, says Cimring. She told The List:
"Here's a bonus: you might live longer. A recent study found that people who drank a
lot of soda had shorter telomeres in immune cells."
That means that soda drinkers are more at risk for death and disease as they age. Is
it really worth the soda habit?
If all the reasons we listed to stop drinking soda aren't good enough, how about just having
the knowledge that your insides could be as beautiful as your outsides?
Frequent consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to a slew of conditions
that make you feel pretty awful, according to Harvard's School of Public Health. That
includes life-threatening kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity, which is a gateway
disease for conditions like breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer, as well as heart disease,
as noted by the journal Obesity Facts.
And sure, even after all that, you know soda isn't good for you. But here's the thing,
it's easy to say you shouldn't drink it. But the reality is that quitting is tough. Soda
tastes wonderful and feels like a fiesta in your mouth, but, knowing what you know now,
you might just want to rethink reaching for that Coca-Cola, and grab something a little
healthier.
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