Soda Consumption Increases Asthma and COPD Risks

If you are on a quest to obesity and really want an increased risk of diabetes and cancer, then look no further than upping your soda consumption. In addition to these negative effects, new research has also pinpointed soda for upping the risk for respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The study, conducted by Australian researchers and published in the February 7 issue of Respirology, aimed to examine the association between soda consumption and doctor-diagnosed asthma and COPD. Study conductors surveyed nearly 17,000 individuals in Southern Australia asking them about their soda consumption. The soft drinks included in the study were Coke, lemonade, flavored mineral water, Powerade, Gatorade, and all other soda types.

Researchers found that 13.3 percent of those with asthma and 15.6 percent of those with COPD drank more than two cups, or about half a liter, of soda each day. As with any other disease that may come from soda consumption, the risk increases with higher amounts of consumption.

“Our study emphasizes the importance of healthy eating and drinking in the prevention of chronic diseases like asthma and COPD,” study author Dr. Zumin Shi, a researcher at the University of Adelaide in Australia, stated.

This news certainly isn’t the first to tie soda consumption with health complications, but it gives even more reason for you to remove soda from your diet. When soda is ingested, your body is often assaulted with mercury-containing high-fructose corn syrup in addition to a conglomeration of pesticides and processed sugars. An average bottle of Coke contains over 60 grams of sugar, while a Vitamin Water contains up to 13 grams. Increasingly it is being recognized that the substantial level of sugar consumption inside the United States and elsewhere is responsible for many of the health issues the average person faces, including obesity, diabetes, and chronic lethal afflictions like cancer and heart disease.

One soda consumption infographic shows that 21 percent of all the sugar in the average American diet comes from soda alone.

• Drinking two soft drinks per week increases risk of pancreatic cancer by 87 percent.

• Drinking one soft drink per day increases risk of metabolic syndrome by 44 percent and a child’s risk of becoming obese by 60 percent.

• Drinking two soft drinks per day increases risk of gout by 85 percent.

With the soft drink industry raking in roughly $50 billion per year, there is no doubt that a solution is needed for the very apparent soda drinking epidemic.