Sweet drink products are very salable in the market and more and more various types. Although it tastes delicious, sweet drinks can be harmful to health, especially if consumed in excess. Know what are the dangers of sugary drinks to health so you don't just eat them.
Sweet drinks are types of drinks that have been given sweeteners, such as liquid sugar, brown sugar, syrups, honey, fruit concentrates, and artificial sweeteners. Some examples of sugary drinks that are very popular are sodas, fruit juices, packaged drinks, and boba drinks.
In addition to being high in sugar, sugary beverage products do not contain many nutrients that are beneficial to the body. In fact, pure fruit juices that are said to be healthy because they contain lots of vitamins are actually no healthier than whole fruit. This is because the fiber content in fruit juices is very low while the sugar content is high.
Excessive sugar consumption is associated with weight gain and the emergence of various diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.
Recognize the Dangers of Sweet Drinks on the Body
Research shows that consumption of 2-6 glasses of sugary drinks per week can increase the risk of death by 6%, and consumption of 1-2 glasses of sugary drinks per day can increase the risk of death by 14%.
The dangers of sugary drinks on health cannot be underestimated. The following are some of the diseases that can arise from consuming too many sugary drinks:
1. Obesity
Weight gain occurs when the number of calories in is greater than the number of calories burned for activity. now, the high sugar content in sugary drinks will give you a large amount of calorie intake.
In contrast to solid foods, sugary drinks don't give you a feeling of fullness, so you'll still eat large amounts of food even though you're getting a lot of calories from sugary drinks. As a result, the incoming calories will exceed the body's needs and there is weight gain.
Uncontrolled weight gain can cause overweight and obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for various deadly diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer.
Therefore, limit the consumption of sugary drinks to prevent obesity while reducing the risk of death from these diseases.
2. Diabetes
The high sugar content in sugary drinks can increase blood sugar levels and increase your risk of developing diabetes. Diabetes can cause complications in the kidneys, eyes, and heart.
A study showed that consuming 1-2 glasses of sugary drinks per day can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 26%.
3. High cholesterol and heart disease
There are two types of cholesterol, namely good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein/HDL) and bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein/LDL). People who frequently consume sugary drinks tend to have lower HDL levels and higher LDL levels.
High LDL levels can increase your risk of narrowing the arteries in the heart. A study states that consuming 1 can of sugary drink per day will increase the risk of heart attack by as much as 20%.
4. Tooth decay
Consumption of foods or drinks high in sugar can cause tooth decay. To avoid this, sugary drinks are only recommended to be consumed during meal times.
This also applies to fruit juices because the sugar and acid content in them can damage teeth. Therefore, fruit juice should only be consumed during the main meal and the amount should also be limited. The recommended amount of pure fruit juice consumption is 150 ml per day.
5. Certain types of cancer
A study states that excessive consumption of sugary drinks can increase the risk of developing cancer in general, except for lung cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. The type of cancer that is closely related to the consumption of sugary drinks is breast cancer.
Excessive consumption of pure fruit juices can also increase the risk of cancer. Therefore, the consumption of whole fruit is much more recommended than the consumption of fruit juice which only has juice.
To avoid the dangers of sugary drinks, you need to limit their consumption. Instead of sugary drinks, you can choose plain water or carbonated water that doesn't contain sweeteners. You can also consume low-calorie sodas that contain less sugar.
If you often consume sugary drinks, it never hurts to see a doctor to monitor blood sugar levels and find out the risk of other diseases due to excessive sugar consumption.
Written by:
dr. Irene Cindy Sunur
