Side Effects of Excessive Consumption of Soda Drinks

Healthy - Soda drinks are indeed delicious as thirst quenchers, especially when the weather is hot. It is not surprising that this drink variant is very popular and favored by all age groups. Occasionally consuming drinks containing soda is certainly okay. However, you should not enjoy soda drinks too often because excessive consumption can have a bad impact on your health.

In fact, soda can cause tooth decay, obesity, and a number of other serious health problems. Don't let the threat of disease lurk just because you often quench your thirst with soda. It's time to care more about your health and be aware of the negative impacts of soda drinks.

Some health problems that are prone to occur due to excessive soda consumption are as follows:

• Dehydration: a condition where the body lacks fluids is one of the mildest adverse effects of soda drinks. The caffeine in soda is a diuretic or triggers urination. As a result, drinking soda in large quantities and often makes you more susceptible to dehydration.
•  Diabetes: the high sugar and fructose syrup content in soda is at risk of causing insulin resistance which leads to type two diabetes. Worse still, diabetes that is not treated seriously can cause various serious complications such as decreased kidney function, diabetic retinopathy (blindness due to high blood sugar levels), and heart disease.
• Overweight and obesity: the calories from soda drinks in large quantities will be stored as fat reserves when they enter the body. The more soda you consume, the greater the risk of being overweight and obese.
• Vitamin deficiency: soda intake can inhibit the absorption of vitamin D and even cause more calcium to be lost in the urine. If this happens continuously, it is likely that the body will lack vitamins and the risk of osteoporosis and tooth decay will worsen.
• Read More: 9 Types of Digestive Disorders, Causes, and How to Treat Them

Be careful! Soda Can Cause Tooth Decay and Other Dental Diseases

Until now, not many people know that soda drinks can be the main cause of the following dental and oral health problems:

• Tooth erosion: this dental health problem is more popularly called tooth decay. Tooth enamel does have a stronger structure than bone. However, this does not mean that enamel cannot be damaged. The citric acid content in soda can cause tooth enamel to erode further until the teeth become porous. The initial symptoms of tooth decay are usually not noticed because they are only the appearance of white spots on the teeth (white spots) which gradually change in size and color. Cavities will make teeth susceptible to cracking and even breaking.
• Cavities: it is not only the citric acid in soda that causes tooth decay. The high sugar content in soda also increases the risk of cavities. Soda residue left on the surface of the teeth will trigger the growth of bacteria that cause cavities. These bacteria will consume the remaining soda until it turns into acid that damages the enamel.
• Sensitive teeth: tooth erosion does not only make teeth prone to cracking and breaking. The condition of tooth enamel that is eroded to the dentin layer causes stimulation in the form of temperature directly to the pulp. Extreme temperatures of food and drinks (too hot or too cold) cause the nerves in the teeth to react, causing pain. The sudden pain with a sharp sensation will definitely interfere with your comfort when eating or drinking.  
• Tooth stains: another negative impact of soda that is no less disturbing is tooth stains. The sugar content from soda is prone to sticking to the surface of the teeth and reacting with other food residue until it turns into plaque. In addition to hardening into tartar, plaque also causes yellow or brownish stains that make teeth look dull.
• Read More: 12 Dangers of Soda Drinks for Health

Efforts to Prevent Tooth Decay from Consuming Carbonated Drinks

You don't need to worry too much about dental health because these methods are quite effective in reducing the risk of tooth decay from consuming carbonated drinks:

• Limit soda consumption: you should consume a maximum of two cans of soda a week so that the body gets enough time to process the soda content. Low consumption of soda also means that teeth are not exposed too often to sugar and citric acid which cause tooth decay.
• Use a straw: using a straw when drinking soda is useful so that the soda does not directly touch the teeth, especially the front teeth. Thus, the risk of tooth decay from soda becomes even smaller.
• Drink mineral water and rinse after consuming soda: mineral water can help neutralize the remaining soda in the mouth. After drinking mineral water, don't forget to rinse your mouth to make your mouth cavity cleaner.
• Give yourself a break from brushing your teeth: Wait at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth after drinking soda. Brushing your teeth immediately after drinking soda increases the risk of tooth decay because the mouth is still acidic.