An Investigation into Why Soda is Bad

I can't lie; I kinda love the taste of soda. The reason, unsurprisingly, lies in its high sugar content, which is activating the lizard part of my brain and making me come back for more. While I know better than to keep drinking it, I've decided to make a couple of graphs to remind me of just how poisonous it can be.

The tldr of why soda is bad:

• Most sodas are packed with too much sugar, and too much sugar makes you fat and unhealthy
• Sodas are highly acidic, with pH levels that rival those of vinegar. Too much acidity can destroy tooth enamel and bone density.

These are just the basics, but the negative impacts of soda extend beyond just these. This blog is going to mainly focus on these two flaws and better describe the risks; hopefully I can convince at least one other person to leave this life behind.

Soda has too much sugar

In short, sugar makes you fat and unhealthy, which is something I already knew. Liquid calories, in particular, don’t trigger the same satiety mechanisms as solid foods, so soda is easy to over-consume without much thinking. This is especially true since soda has become ubiquitous as part of the dining out experience, from movies to restaurants.

A quick rundown of the bad effects of too much sugar:

• Higher blood pressure
• higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• elevated blood glucose levels
• insulin spikes
• inflammation
• oxidative stress

I’ve seen plenty of graphs detailing these health risks, so I wanted to make something different, and thus came up with this particle diagram using a coding language called P5.js. Water is made up of particles, after all, and when you think about the amount of sugar in something like a 12 oz can of Coca-Cola, you realize that something like 15% of its volume is pure sugar...

Soda is acidic

Now, the good news is that our body tightly regulates our pH balance, so what we eat is not likely going to effect our balances. That being said, there's nothing wrong with understanding your acid levels, and maybe even limiting it, especially in the case of our teeth and bones. Regular soda drinkers have a higher risk of periodontal disease, because:

• Phosphoric acid in soda can lead to lower bone mineral density
• Acids and sugars in soda erode tooth enamel
• Calcium depletion from bones due to high phosphate levels
• Increased risk of fractures and osteoporosis in habitual soda drinkers

That's not to mention the negative effects soda can have on those victim to acid reflux (ya boy)...drinking too much acid can relax the lower esophageal sphincter, and if the LES relaxes too often or for too long, stomach acid can flow back into the esophagus, causing acid reflux. And trust me, having GERD sucks.

I saw this research study that analyzed the pH balances of a bunch of drinks found in the US - soda, fruit juices, water - and came up with the following charts.

Just to summarize the fundings, the study, which test 380 beverages, found that:

• 39% of the beverages tested (150/380) were considered extremely erosive (pH < 3.0)
• 54% (205/380) were considered erosive (pH 3.0 to 3.99)
• 7% (25/380) were considered minimally erosive (pH ≥ 4.0)
• The most acidic beverages tested with a pH < 2.4 were:
  • lemon juice (pH 2.25),
  • RC Cola (pH 2.32),
  • Coca-Cola Classic (2.37),
  • Coca-Cola Cherry (pH 2.38),
  • Pepsi (pH 2.39)

Stay safe out there, y'all.