What makes soft drinks so addictive is the sugar content in them that releases dopamine in the brain, making one feel good. Because of these, people generally neglect the side effects of soft drinks.

Here is a detailed discourse on the harmful effects of soft drinks on human body to spread awareness! Keep reading, medicinet reports.

Is Soft Drink Good for the Human Body?

Soft drinks are not suitable for the human body because the sugar content in soft drinks is very high. They do not benefit the body; instead, they harm it in several ways. This is the reason soft drinks are often referred to as empty calories. Side effects of soft drinks on the human body include weight gain, cardiovascular conditions, and diabetes.

Following is a detailed discussion on each of these effects.

What Are the Harmful Effects of Soft Drinks on a Human Body?

The harmful effects of soft drinks on the human body include –

Weight gain – Soft drinks and sodas are loaded with sugar, making you gain weight faster. A can of soft drink may contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar. These sweetened beverages might suppress hunger pangs for a while but eventually, make you eat more.

Fatty liver – Glucose and fructose are the two primary compounds present in refined sugar. Our body cells can easily metabolise glucose, but only the liver can metabolise fructose. Therefore, excess consumption of soft drinks can lead to fructose overload. Due to this, the liver converts this fructose into fat which gets accumulated on the liver. This can lead to severe fatty liver disease in no time.

Diabetes – Excessive intake of fructose can lead to insulin resistance and cause Type 2 diabetes.  

Tooth decay – One of the side effects of soft drinks include tooth decay. Phosphoric acid and carbonic acid in sodas erode tooth enamel in the long run. When combined with sugar, these acids make a perfect environment for bacteria to thrive in the mouth, eventually causing cavities.

What Are the Serious Side Effects of Consuming Soft Drinks Over a Long Period?

Consuming soft drinks for an extended period has severe effects such as –

Higher risk of cancer – People who drink two or more soft drinks per week are nearly twice at risk of suffering from pancreatic cancer. Postmenopausal women who consume a lot of soft drinks have a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer.

Greater risk of gout – Inflammation or pain in the joints, especially big toes, is known as gout. This medical condition occurs when a high amount of uric acid crystallises in the blood. Fructose, present in soft drinks, is the main carbohydrate to increase blood uric acid levels.

Leptin resistance – Leptin is a hormone produced by the fat cells of your body. It changes in case of starvation as well as obesity. A large amount of fructose intake can cause leptin resistance, thus increasing the chances of fat gain.

Higher risk of dementia – People, who drink soft drinks regularly, are more likely to have a poor memory, smaller hippocampus and a significantly smaller overall brain volume.

For those who always stay long hours, in the front of their smartphones, here is a warning for you. A study from the United States once said that smartphones may ruin your eyesight.

Researchers at the University of Toledo, in Ohio, have found that exposure to blue-light — the glow emitted from most smartphones, tablets and laptops — promotes the growth of “poisonous molecules” in your eyes, leading to macular degeneration, New York Post reports.

“It’s no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye’s retina,” professor and study co-author Ajith Karunarathne said about the study, which was published in a journal. 

His team explains that blue light is especially dangerous for our eyes because, unlike other types of light, the eye’s cornea and lens cannot block or reflect it.

The speculation is alarming to researchers.

“Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye,” says Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student who worked on the study. “When they’re dead, they’re dead for good.”

Macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States, with about 200,000 cases reported per year cannot be cured, although it can be treated with glasses, medications or laser surgery. Karunarathne hopes that their research may encourage other scientists to look into developing an eye drop to shield eyes against blue light.

In the meantime, the researchers recommend preventative measures, including wearing sunglasses that filter UV and blue light, and avoiding reading mobile devices in the dark, which causes additional strain on delicate photoreceptors.

A report t in the South China Morning Post, also supported the claim, saying that looking at your smartphone screen for extended periods can cause you to temporarily go blind.

A man in northwest China experienced this after playing mobile games in the dark. A doctor said the man, surnamed Wang, suffered an eye stroke caused by narrowing blood vessels in the retina. He said it could lead to permanent blindness if not treated quickly.

The doctor, Lei Tao, also said he sees about 20 patients a month with the same or similar symptoms.

“Blockage of the arteries in the retina is sudden, serious and the primary manifestation of eye disease that leads to blindness,” he told the Post. “The occurrence rate is getting higher each year, and there is a trend of younger victims.”

“Using phones and electronic items is a big part of life for young people, which puts excessive strain on their vision,” he added. “This can trigger eye stroke.”