Many people know that soda is NOT good for them...

...Yet they continue to consume it at alarming rates.

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I am not a big fan of soda because of the way it makes me feel after I drink one, as well as the nasty film it leaves on my teeth. I don't even drink coffee because of the high caffeine levels, so I don't think I could have much soda as it is now. The older I have become, the more caffeine affects me in a negative way. As a child, my mom never had soda in the house or allowed me to drink it much when we were out. It was all for good reason of course, and we would only have the occasional ginger ale for the upset stomach. When I was a teenager, I found a liking to soda for a period of time, most likely due to the fact it was a once in a blue euphoria that was mainly forbidden in times past. My first boyfriend was a diabetic and I ended up drinking diet soda (even though I KNEW how bad it was for the body) because his mother would buy a lot of "diet" drinks. I somehow then began to not like regular soda because it was WAY TOO SWEET for me. Before my twenties, I decided soda was a once-in-a-while treat, and I will rarely drink it. My weakness for carbonation comes in the form of seltzer...I do happen to love seltzer, but I prefer water over all of those options most times.

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Enough about me and now for more of the fun and scientific information. I was recently reminded as I was looking at the ICOLR last night and saw that the Imperial Regent posted this article stating the following:

Much of the world is addicted to soda pop, but before you reach for it, there are a few things you should know...

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The Livestrong article starts off by saying how having 2 of any carbonated beverage a day will increase your risk for a lot of health problems. In particular kidney disease. They say it is a "recipe for high blood pressure, reduced kidney function and kidney stones." The article goes on to describe how Phosphoric Acid is a true issue for the kidneys. In another one of their articles, they state that "Coca-Cola contains 17 mg of phosphorus in every 100 mL, according to the Coca-Cola Company. This works out to about 60 mg in one 12-oz. can of the product." Below is a video of a small-scale experiment on how phosphoric acid can be made from red phosphorus, for all those who like to indulge their knowledge into chemistry:

And here are some less hands-on and more of a lecture-type of videos for your viewing pleasure:

Clearly, soda and Phosphoric Acid are HIGHLY acidic and do a lot of damage to the body.

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Now, back to the article for a moment. Sugar, in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup, (which is in a SLEW of processed foods and beverages), also is detrimental to your kidneys. The article stated:

In 2007, a group of kidney specialists reporting in the 'Journal of the American Society of Nephrology' said excessive consumption of fructose-containing beverages was a risk factor for kidney disease, marked by high blood pressure, as well as inflammation and damage to the kidneys. Although most of the fructose in soda is taken up by your liver, up to 30 percent of it goes through your kidneys, which can cause an increase in levels of uric acid, a waste product created as the kidneys break down food. That action, the researchers said, is a major mechanism through which fructose-sweetened beverages cause cardiorenal disease. They called it an environmental toxin and said people with kidney problems should be put under restrictions against fructose-containing food and beverages.

Of course, soda is not just comprised of High Fructose Corn Syrup, but also the high amounts of sugar are not a great thing for the body to process. I will not get into that, but the images below should give you a small visual indication of how much sugar packets you'd be eating per beverage.

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You may be thinking, well how about diet soda and kidney function? The article stated some information from the National Kidney Foundation and how their research showed it can slow down filtration rates when 2 drinks are consumed per day.

In one reviewed study, the foundation said women who drank two diet sodas each day had a 30 percent greater reduction in kidney function over 20 years than women who didn’t drink diet soda.

There, of course, is much more information out on this topic, but I wanted to share just the tip of the iceberg with you all. It looks like we all should just say NO, or farewell to these sugary and toxic dopamine inducing beverages.

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Consume at your own risk...

...Be well!

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