The carbonated drinks Are beverages that normally contain carbonated water, a sweetener and a natural or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be sugar, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, sugar substitutes (in the case of diet drinks), or some combination thereof.
I'm sure most of you who read this article have ever seen that image where it is shown that drinking a soda is like consuming about eight to ten tablespoons of refined sugar and yet, almost inexplicably, we continue to consume them.
Of this reality practically no country escapes. The penetration of these products has been so effective that their star brands are capable of provoking that refreshing and bubbling sensation.
To make the situation much more serious, we can find them practically in any commercial place, in the street, big stores, in different formats and its advertising usually includes outstanding figures of the sport or the music, which makes us much more susceptible to consume them .
What are carbonated or carbonated drinks?
It is important that you understand in a summarized way its process of elaboration, which is quite simple: first a mixture of filtered water, carbon dioxide, sweeteners (substances that provide a very sweet flavor) and acidulants (those that change or control the Ph of the formula).
This results in a refreshing drink that is mostly packaged in plastic containers (a tremendous damage to the environment) and you can find it later in countless places, and especially within the reach of the little ones.
Without a doubt we have forgotten something that should be paradoxical; Their origin and development are referred to the pharmaceutical industry as they were used as remedies to relieve migraine and indigestion.
Do we really know how much this can affect our health? Hereafter I present a summary of reasons for not frequent or excessive consumption of these drinks.
Health Consequences
We must focus on the fact that in recent decades, obesity and overweight have become an unprecedented huge pandemic. According to reports by the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2008, approximately 1400 million adults (≥20 years of age) had a nutritional status of overweight, of which more than 200 million men and About 300 million women were already suffering from obesity.
Sugary drinks (with added sugar in their formulation), which include the well-known flavored beverages of the major international industries, fruit juices and mainly carbonated beverages, have been clearly associated with this increase in obesity figures .
In addition to this, a direct association has been established between the frequent consumption of these soft drinks and the presence of metabolic diseases, such as insulin resistance, arterial hypertension, type 2 diabetes, abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia and metabolic syndrome. This relationship can be the result of sugary drinks have a high glycemic index and that scarcely leave you a feeling of satiety.
In sum, the consumption of added sugars (which are added to foods during processing but not naturally present) in developed countries accounts for more than a quarter of the calories consumed per day and of these 40 % Comes from sugary non-alcoholic beverages, including energy drinks and sports drinks.
On the other hand, preferring this type of liquid often causes substitution of the consumption of milk and natural fruit juices. This habit has led to an increase in the total number of calories consumed worldwide, even becoming the main source of liquid energy in many countries.
Let no one cheat on you, sugary drinks only provide calories with low nutritional value, and different systematic reviews have found a correlation between the consumption of sugary drinks and various diseases that we will detail later.
Carbonated Drinks and Obesity
Many research has determined that weight gain in people is related to the amount of carbohydrates, fluids consumed and their density.
In this sense, more viscous beverages (eg, beverages with cereal, protein and fat aggregates) produce satiety and, therefore, a lower hunger sensation compared to less dense beverages such as soda and even sugar infusions .
In addition, the latter ingest much faster because you do not need to chew, its rapid gastrointestinal absorption and low or no stimulation of signs of satiety or gastric fullness. Due to the above it is argued that people increase their daily caloric intake by an increase in the consumption of additional calories contributed precisely by sugary drinks.
If you want to know more, I tell you that fructose is a"sugar"naturally present in fruits, vegetables, honey and artificially being added in foods labeled as diet or light, drinks and nectars.
The intake of this nutrient has increased considerably in recent years, especially in the form of"high fructose corn syrup", which can be found in the labeling of products. This syrup gives a great and attractive sweetness to a wide range of processed foods that you can find daily in stores and unfortunately are often preferred by children and adults.
In developing countries, the consumption of soft drinks has increased significantly in the population, which implies a high consumption of fructose associated with detrimental effects on health.
Fructose, despite having a name similar to glucose, has differences in its metabolism. For example, it is absorbed more slowly than glucose, although it is captured and metabolized more quickly by the liver.
Recent literature and high scientific quality, associates the consumption of fructose added in these drinks with various metabolic alterations such as: Fructose intolerance of genetic cause, fatty liver, alterations in insulin sensitivity and diabetes mellitus type 2, which we will pass To be revised more specifically in the following paragraphs.
Sugary drinks and diabetes mellitus
British researchers found that in overweight or obese children consuming only 100 ml (half a glass) of this type of soft drink was associated with an increase in parameters indicative of diabetes and even blood pressure and waist circumference measures.
Will this be given only in children? No, since these same relationships and even much more determinants have been found in studies for men, women and all types of population.
Its relationship with metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease
A prospective study showed that in adults the consumption of a daily glass of these products causes a great increase in the risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome.
This fact is very important, given its direct relationship with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. There is evidence that women who consume more than 2 soft drinks per day (500 cc or half liter) are more likely to develop coronary disease or A stroke .
This has been studied looking for a dose-effect relationship, coming to the conclusion that the more glasses of these soft drinks you consume, the greater the risk of developing one of these complicated diseases.
Soft drinks and risk of hyperuricemia
Several studies have associated the consumption of sugary drinks with a significantly higher level of uric acid in the blood, which is dangerous for health. Prospective data have also been suggested to have the potential to increase the risk of hyperuricemia and gout (a disease that causes inflammation and major joint pain).
Sugary drinks and risk of osteoporosis
This relationship is very logical, because if you prefer one of these soft drinks at breakfast, it is very unlikely that you consume dairy, proving that its habitual consumption increases in 3 times the risk of not drinking milk.
Cross-sectional studies in children and adolescents have associated sugary drinks with a low bone mineral density (bone capacity to withstand bumps or the like without fracture), although the authors suggest that such associations may be due to milk replacement For these refreshments. However, it has been suggested that the amount of phosphoric acid present in the cola drinks may be sufficient to cause this imbalance.
Sugary drinks and cancer
Cancer (in its different types) is one of the diseases that causes more deaths every day worldwide, in addition to the great physical, psychological and economic burden that it means for our society and in particular for the families that suffer it.
In this regard, certain studies have reported an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer from consuming sugary beverages, which may contain a large amount of high fructose corn syrup (potentially carcinogenic), yet the data are still not completely consistent.
A systematic review (from studies that have associated fructose, carbohydrate, glycemic index, and pancreatic cancer), concludes that certain types of carbohydrates, especially fructose, may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.
Dental caries and erosion of dental enamel
If you want to maintain optimum oral health, I advise you to stay away from your consumption, because several ingredients present in large quantities in these soft drinks (such as refined sugar, phosphoric acid and citric acid) contribute greatly to the development of tooth decay and tooth enamel wear.
Recall that tooth decay is produced by colonization and demineralization of dental pieces caused by acid products from the fermentation of food remains not removed through proper hygiene, especially carbohydrates, induced by bacteria present in the oral cavity.
In children and adolescents the structure of dental enamel, in the process of maturation, is still incomplete and very likely to be attacked by these agents, which come regularly from the food remains or acids present in these beverages. To make it clear, the pH of the soft drinks contributes directly to the demineralization of the hard tissues of the tooth.
What do we do about it? Special taxes on these drinks?
With all that I have told you, you will surely ask yourself what are we doing to reverse or prevent all this? The truth is that quite a bit, but among other things it has been tried to reduce its consumption through the application of higher taxes to these industries, in the hope that this ultimately leads to a lower consumption of them.
Studies suggest that taxes on these sodas may indirectly help reduce rates of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, many of these studies suggest that if the increase in the sale price of these soft drinks is not significant (greater than 15%) or other measures are not considered, the expected impact will not be achieved in Health, and will only affect the poorest strata of the population.
Do we want these intake patterns for our children? For our grandchildren? I'm sure not. For then, and as difficult as it may seem, we must take concrete steps not only towards access to this type of information, but mainly towards concrete measures as consumers, empowering us in our right to choose and demand quality food products and Affordable for everyone.
In short, what I advise is that despite how attractive and delicious these types of soft drinks can be, the cost-benefit ratio is too risky. Therefore, there are much healthier and safer options like preparing your own juices, shakes and natural juices or even simply water, because this way you will be protecting your health and that of your family.
References
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