Reduce Your Soda Habit to Keep your Heart and Brain Healthy

Convenience is key for people on the go. In addition to portable packaging, brilliant advertising has the soda industry booming. Various marketing campaigns have told us for years that “it’s the real thing” and to have one and “smile”. However, studies show that consumers need to think twice before popping the top on a can of soda.

No matter what they tell you, it’s no secret that soda is a sticky concoction of sugar and chemicals. A study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012 reveals that high consumption of sugary drinks increases your risk for diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and even gout. These beverages produce rapid increases in blood sugar and insulin, which in turn can lead to insulin resistance and inflammation. And from this you can experience cardiovascular damage

Don’t be fooled into thinking that switching to diet soda is a healthy alternative though. A correlation between diet soda and stroke has also been discovered. Researchers from the University of Miami at Columbia University published a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine in 2012, that found that people who consumed one or more diet sodas per day were significantly more likely to have a stroke or heart attack and to die from cardiovascular disease than people who consumed less diet soda. It has also been proven that diet soda already increases a myriad of other side effects such as headaches, vertigo, slurred speech, numbness and vision problems, due to its key ingredient, aspartame.

Bottom line, high consumption of carbonated soft drinks in general – regular or diet – significantly increases your risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Fayaz recommends that you eliminate or, at the very least, limit your intake of soda to keep your heart and brain healthy. Drinking water is the best solution for staying hydrated and healthy. Read why it’s important to keep your brain hydrated here.