Thursday, July 2, 2015

The Shocking 'Health Hazards' Of 'Sugary Drinks'

By Swarnam John

It's summer time, and whenever I go out for a walk, I see groups of youngsters enjoying their time, each with a can of sugary beverages. But alas! The warnings come clear and loud about the health hazards of sugary drinks. A recent study sounded the alarm that sugary beverages may lead to an estimated deaths of 184,000 each year worldwide. 

Harvard scientists say that sugary drinks contribute to the obesity epidemic. The average size of sugar sweetened soda or fruit punch contributes about 150 calories of sugar, mainly from high fructose corn syrup.


The 150 calories equals to about 10 tsp of table sugar. Imagine 10 tsp of sugar in a single can of sweetened beverage. It is just like slow poison, which will cut our life road someday. Hope I have scared you to death.

Dangers of sugary drinks
The consumption of sugary drinks such as, sugar sweetened sodas, fruit drinks, sports/energy drinks, sweetened ice teas and homemade sugary drinks leads to the development of heart diseases, diabetes and cancers.

What concerns the health enthusiasts is that the consumption is increasing at a whirlwind speed among the youngsters. Imagine the impact on health due to these sugary beverages, a few years down the road.

Early onset of mensuration
Health scientists warn us that girls who drink sugary drinks frequently start their menstrual periods earlier than those who do not consume it. The average age for the first menarche is 12 years.

The findings are very significant because early onset of periods, is related to higher risk of breast cancer later in life. Scientists point out that drinks with more sugar have a higher glycemic index.

This causes a rapid rise in insulin concentration of sex hormones. Huge changes in the concentration of these hormones circulating in the body are linked to earlier onset of mensuration.

So if you are having a daughter, this sounds an alarm for you.

Hazards increase in a dose-dependent manner
If you drink sugary drinks just for two weeks, it could affect your health adversely warns scientists.

These beverages which are loaded with sugar increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in a dose dependent manner. The more you drink, the greater the risk.

Another finding points out that an interesting angle. Sugary beverages can suppress the hormone cortisol and the stress hormone in the brain. These drinks can provide a quick relief from stress.

This can prompt habitual drinking of these beverages which can have detrimental effects on health, including obesity.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
There is a huge risk if you drink sugary drinks on a daily basis. It can increase the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. NAFLD is the accumulation of fat cells in the liver which is not related to alcohol consumption.

People suffering from NAFLD are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Sugary beverages are a major contributor of fructose, the sugar that is believed to increase the risk of NAFLD, because of how our bodies process it.

Sugary beverages impair memory
Scientists warn that consumption of sugary beverages during adolescence, can hamper the ability to learn and remember information. But the irony is that sugary beverages are most popular among the youngsters.

Refined carbohydrates when consumed in soft drinks, can lead to metabolic disturbances.  Sugary drinks interfere with our brain’s ability to function normally and remember critical information.

Scientists warn that it also produces inflammation in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that controls many learning and memory functions. Terrible is it not?
Studies warn us that sugary beverages can cause kidney stones and also raise the risk of endometrial cancer in post-menopausal women.

Take away
I think there is more than enough reasons for you to avoid sugar sweetened beverages. If you can’t go cold turkey, you can just trim down your consumption and enjoy it on an occasional basis. So the world will have healthier and happier citizens to habitat it.

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