Soda: What's really inside?

Soda beverages are the leading cause of obesity and diabetes. Also, sugary drinks kill around 180,000 people worldwide according to a study published by Harvard researchers, and yet it remains one of the most popular consumed beverages of our time.

Just in case you never took a look at the ingredients listed on your cans, here is the list of the main ingredients present in most common sugary beverages.

The sugar used is simply pure refined carbohydrates which lack vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Our metabolism cannot fully make use of this sugar for nutritive purposes unless what’s been depleted is present. Subsequently, incomplete carbohydrate metabolism results in the formation of toxic elements (such as pyruvic acid) which accumulates in the brain and nervous system and interferes with the ability of the cells to acquire sufficient amounts of oxygen. With time cells degenerate and die triggering the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.

Some studies suggest that large intake of sugar leads to many deadly diseases like cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

This ingredient, if heavily consumed, leads to weight gain, increases in blood pressure, may cause liver damage, diabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease and activates tumor growth.

Consumption of too much caffeine results in insomnia (difficulty sleeping), nervousness, restlessness, irritability, stomach aches, increase in heart rate and muscle tremors (involuntary muscle twitching).

A byproduct of the formation of the caramel color is 4-MI (4- Methylimidazole), an additive used in most soda beverages, suggested by some studies to be a possible carcinogenic.

This acid is used to give the soda its sharp flavor. Phosphoric acid is also known to be more acidic than vinegar or lemon juice, it is used to remove rust (what could it possibly be removing in your stomach!?) and is linked to lowering bone density. Ill people are known to have a more acidic pH than healthy ones. When your body is more acidic (due to the consumption of soda beverages for example), it becomes more difficult for your body to fight back illnesses and viruses, leading to numerous complications.

The large amounts of sugar present in the soda mask the acidity of the phosphoric acid.

The choice is yours, because your health is your responsibility and yours to look after. Choose safely.

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