Varieties
There is a wide variety of soft drinks, including “clear,” cola, fruit flavors,
and other flavors such as root beer and cream sodas. Clear soft drinks contain water, carbon
dioxide, sweetener, flavors such as ginger, lemon, or lime, and other additives and
preservatives. Colas contain the ingredients of clear soft drinks, with the addition of
caffeine and coloring. Fruit soft drinks contain the ingredients of clear soft drinks, with
the addition of fruit oils or flavorings and coloring. Diet soft drinks substitute a
non-calorie sweetener, such as aspartame, in place of sugar or corn sweetener. Natural
varieties, which use natural sweeteners and are free of artificial colors, flavors, and
preservatives, are also available.
Health benefits and concerns
Crohn’s disease
A person with Crohn’s disease might consume more sugar than the average healthy
person. While details of how sugar injures the intestine are still being uncovered, doctors
often suggest eliminating all sugar (including soft drinks with added sugar) from the diets of
those with Crohn’s disease.
Female
infertility
Soft drinks are a source of caffeine, and while not
every study finds that caffeine reduces female fertility, many doctors recommend that women
trying to get pregnant avoid caffeine.
Gastritis
Caffeine, found in some soft drinks, increases stomach acid. Avoiding caffeine-containing
soft drinks should therefore aid in the healing of gastritis.
Hypoglycemia
Even modest amounts of caffeine may increase symptoms of hypoglycemia. For this reason,
caffeinated beverages (such as some soda pop) should be avoided.
Insomnia
The effects of caffeine—a stimulant—can last up to 20 hours, so some people
will have disturbed sleep patterns even when their last cup of coffee was in the morning. Besides regular coffee, there are
many other sources of caffeine, including many soft drinks.
Kidney stones
In one study, men who refrained from drinking soft drinks (especially drinks containing
phosphoric acid) reduced their risk of stone recurrences compared with men permitted to
consume soft drinks. Phosphoric acid is thought to affect
calcium metabolism in ways that might increase kidney stone recurrence risk. Research in
this area remains somewhat inconsistent, however. In one large trial, people who consumed more
soft drinks were not at increased risk.
Osteoporosis
Like salt, caffeine increases urinary loss of calcium.
Caffeine intake has been linked to increased risk of hip fractures, and to a lower bone mass
in women who consumed inadequate calcium. Many doctors recommend decreasing caffeinated
beverages, including soft drinks, as a way to improve bone mass.
Cola drinkers have been reported to have an increased incidence of bone fractures, although
short-term consumption of carbonated beverages has not affected markers of bone
health. The problem, if one exists, may be linked to phosphoric acid, a substance found in
many soft drinks. Although a few studies have not linked soft drinks to bone loss, the
preponderance of evidence now suggests that a problem may exist.
Premenstrual syndrome
Women who consume more sugary foods and caffeine-containing beverages appear to have an
increased risk of PMS. Among a group of college students in the United States, consumption of
caffeine-containing beverages was associated with increases in both the prevalence and
severity of PMS. Moreover, the more caffeine women
consumed, the more likely they were to suffer from PMS. A preliminary study showed that women
with heavy caffeine consumption were more likely to have shorter menstrual periods and shorter
cycle length compared with women who did not consume caffeine. Therefore, many doctors
recommend that women with PMS avoid sugar and caffeine-containing beverages.
