Cracking open a cold soda isn’t just refreshing; sometimes, it can feel like a necessary pick-me-up to get you through the end of a long work day. And with a recent reality show bringing soda-drinking back into vogue, it's a good time to talk about the health issues linked to the drink.

Studies have linked sugary drinks like soda to several adverse health effects, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, poor blood sugar control, and diabetes.

Drinking soda linked to many adverse health conditions. UCLA Health. April 15, 2022.

 

Experts discourage overconsumption of soda due to these health risks, which stem from a mix of elements contained in the drinks, including high sugar content and a lack of nutrients—plus the likelihood that you’ll drink more than one. 

 

Soda risk #1: high sugar content

 

Noa Tal, MD, a board-certified endocrinologist at the Pituitary Disorders Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA, explains that the high sugar and artificial sweetener content in many sodas are two of the—if not the—main culprits behind the product’s health risks. Added sugars, she explains, are linked to a variety of harmful conditions and outcomes like obesity, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome—a combination of high blood pressure and high blood glucose levels—-excessive body fat, and abnormal cholesterol levels.

“All of these pose an increased risk for heart diseases and type two diabetes,” Dr. Tal says.

It’s not just the soda brands we all know, either. Dr. Tal adds that newer soft drinks marketed as healthy alternatives to soda can come with these risks if they have high sugar content.

That’s because even though they don’t contain sugar or calories, artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking it has consumed something sweet. As a result, artificial sweeteners trigger insulin secretion similar to the way in which sugar does.

Mathur K, Agrawal RK, Nagpure S, et al. Effect of artificial sweeteners on insulin resistance among type-2 diabetes mellitus patients. Journal of family Medicine and Primary Care. 2020;9(1):69–71.

This can be dangerous and promote weight gain, Dr. Tal says. 

 

 

Soda risk #2: it’s not nutritious 

 

Drinking soda can feel like a sweet treat, and, according to most dietitians, it's OK to occasionally have a sweet treat. However, there can be a difference between drinking a sweet soda and eating a sweet dessert like cake.

Dr. Tal explains that some sweet foods, like baked goods, can come with nutrients and not just sugar. 

“If you're talking about cakes, for instance, you do have other minerals, other nutritional factors,” Dr. Tal says. “Whereas in [soda], you only have sugar. You don't really have fiber; you don't have minerals. It doesn't have a lot of health value to it.”

Additionally, people are more accustomed to having sweet food as a dessert—after a meal— while sodas are more commonly consumed without food, Dr. Tal adds. Having a meal before a sweet treat can help you consume fewer sugars. “You're not going to have a full meal and then another three slices of cake,” Dr. Tal says. This keeps your insulin levels more in check than if you consume the sweets on their own.

“When you're drinking the sugary drinks, you consume more calories, but nothing else,” Dr. Tal adds.

 

Soda risk #3: The brain craves more

 

Drinking sugary drinks like soda activates the dopamine reward system in the brain, similar to how an active substance activates the brain, Dr. Tal says. 

This “can cause craving [and] overconsumption, and, because of that, weight gain and many other comorbidities,” she adds.

Even if you don’t reach for a second soda immediately after finishing your first, you may find yourself grabbing a soft drink multiple times a week—or during that afternoon work break.