Sugary soft drinks such as Coca-Cola have long been shown to increase the risk of conditions such as obesity and diabetes.
But now experts are warning that the popular fizzy drinks can also wreak havoc on your digestive system, causing gastrointestinal upset, fractures and even permanent organ damage.
Even diet sodas, despite not containing sugar, can lead to excessive cravings for other sweets, which can cause weight gain and conditions such as diabetes.
And artificial sweeteners like aspartame in diet sodas can cause stomach upset, such as diarrhea and constipation.
Experts have warned that drinking soft drinks every day could lead to an increased risk of fractures, liver damage and gastrointestinal complaints (stock image)
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Coca-Cola and several soft drinks from brands such as Dr Pepper contain phosphoric acid, a colorless additive intended to make foods more acidic and prevent the growth of bacteria and mold, because bacteria can multiply quickly in sugary drinks.
This also gives sugary drinks their tart taste and fizzy texture.
Phosphoric acid comes from phosphorus, a naturally occurring mineral in the body that is responsible for the growth, maintenance and repair of tissue and cells.
Although we need phosphorus for these functions, getting too much phosphorus has been shown to deplete the body of calcium, an essential nutrient for bone and muscle health.
Without calcium, you are more susceptible to developing conditions such as osteoporosis, which makes bones so brittle that they break.
For example one observational research in the journal Nutrients found that people who drank soda every day doubled their risk of bone fractures compared to those who did not drink soda.
Soda has also been shown to irritate the stomach lining due to its high carbon dioxide content.
Nancy Mitchell, a nurse and employee for the Assisted Living Center, shared FoodWell: ‘For people with gastritis, ulcers, acid reflux and the like, the carbon dioxide can worsen symptoms and cause discomfort, especially if you already suffer from chronic inflammation.’
Sugary soft drinks have also been shown to lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol and increase triglycerides, a type of fat in the bloodstream that comes from foods such as butter, oils and other fats.
A 2020 study for example, the Journal of the American Heart Association found that adults who regularly drank soda had a 98 percent higher risk of low HDL levels and a 53 percent higher risk of developing high triglycerides.
America’s 25 Sweetest Drinks RANKED: Mountain Dew had the most sugar of all the drinks on the list, while Brisk Lemon Tea had the least. However, all drinks were well above or close to the daily recommended amount of sugar set by the American Heart Association
Cesar Sauza, a registered dietitian nutritionist at HealthCanal, shared FoodWell: ‘If the sugar from the soft drink is not used for physical activity, the liver will convert sugar into (triglycerides).
‘If the sugar from the soft drink is not used for physical activity, the liver will turn sugar into fat.’
In terms of liver damage, one study found that women who drank one or more sugar-sweetened soft drinks per day were 85 percent more likely to be diagnosed with liver cancer during that time, compared to those who consumed less than one soft drink per week.
Daily soda drinkers were also 68 percent more likely to die from liver disease than those who drank three or fewer drinks per month.
However, the researchers noted that the overall risk of death was still very low – with only about 150 fatalities from the disease in the trial.
There was no link between liver disease and sugar-free drinks such as Diet Coke.
However, diet sodas can have their own side effects.
In 2022, researchers from Tel Aviv and Johns Hopkins University found that participants who consumed the artificial sweeteners aspartame and stevia – found in diet drinks such as Diet Coke – could experience glucose-galactose malabsorption, a condition that makes it difficult for the intestines to absorb sugars.
This can lead to severe diarrhea, dehydration and weight loss.