Soft Drinks: A Costly Luxury

Today you see it everywhere; from ads on TV to in the coolers in the gas station just down the street, pop. America's love affair with soft drinks such as Coke and Pepsi is a very lengthy and costly one. Many people simply drink pop for taste or caffeine, reasons that when placed next to their consequences, look silly. I you were to told by a doctor to stop smoking to save your health, why wouldn't you listen to a dentist that says not to drink pop to save your teeth? Many studies have shown that soft drinks are not only bad for teeth enamel and cause cavities and decay but also lead to obesity and effect bone growth and development in younger people. What are people willing to risk just to have their caffeine or enjoy a cold soft drink at a restaurant?

Go up to any dentist today and ask about soft drinks and he will tell you that you will pay for it in the future with tooth decay and staining. Soft drinks contain levels of acidity that are bad for tooth enamel and will eventually penetrate the surface of the tooth thus leaving it open to decay. Most people know what a pH scale is and that water is neutral at 7; lower numbers are acidic and higher numbers are basic. The placement of soft drinks on this chart shows just how terrible they are for you. Pepsi, one of the most beloved soft drinks in this country is rated at a 2.1 on the pH with Coca-Cola a close second with a 2.15 rating. Battery acid is around 1 on a pH scale and stomach acids, which may I remind you cause ulcers, are averaged at a 1.8 on the pH scale. Now look how close soft drinks and these dangerously acidic substances are compared to the difference between soft drinks and water. Would you put battery acid or stomach acids in you mouth? Then why drink soft drinks?

Another reason to drop that can is the fact that soft drinks have been proven to cause obesity. Studies have proven that people who drink sugar sweetened drinks are much more likely to become obese than those who don't. Others show that as you reduce the intake of sweetened drinks, so does the chance of obesity. The fact that soft drinks cause obesity can be tracked down to the high amounts of glucose and calories in them. Not only are they high in sugar and calories, but soft drinks also leave many people still hungry and many times don't even quench your thirst like water or milk would. Although many people turn to diet soft drinks to remove the calorie and sugar factors, they still have to answer to low amounts of pH in their favorite diet soft drinks. No matter what you try with soft drinks you are going to end up losing.

Another important thing to keep in mind when you drink soft drinks is that fact that the caffeine in it is know to restrict the distribution of calcium, a vital ingredient for bone growth and development. Twenty years ago, the average teen drank the same amount of soft drinks as milk. Today, twenty years later, teenagers on average are known to drink twice as much pop as milk. Another interesting fact is that your average teenage male drinks three cans of pop in one day and female's only one behind with two. Now everyone knows that your teenage years, you are going through a time of growth and development, yet almost every teen is stunting their growth by drinking around three cans a day. This will mean in the future increased amounts of cases of osteoporosis and many people who will be more susceptible to injury due to week bone structure. What is a simple way to avoid this? Drink more milk and cut down on soft drinks.

While a soft drink or two here or there may have little or no effect on a person, it is the abuse of it you have to watch out for. Soft drinks may give the boost you need from caffeine or great taste, but in the end all it will do is hurt you. So instead of throwing away your health and money treating your health, make the smart choice and avoid soft drinks.