Consuming light soft drinks damages the intestinal flora and can increase the risk of various liver diseases and strokes. This makes it clear that soft drinks are by no means healthy, even without sugar and calories.
Soft drinks such as cola and lemonade are considered extremely unhealthy, especially because of the sugar they contain. In order to reduce their intake of sugar and calories, many people turn to so-called light soft drinks or diet lemonades as an alternative. But are these really a healthy alternative or do light soft drinks also pose health risks?
Soft drinks increase blood pressure and blood sugar
In general, soft drinks are detrimental to health in many ways. For example, a study last year reported that high consumption of soft drinks increased fasting blood sugar, blood pressure and the risk of metabolic syndrome.
Drinking small amounts of soft drinks regularly can also have negative consequences for your health. According to the experts, the relative risk of high waist circumference increased even with moderate consumption of soft drinks.
Are diet sodas healthier?
The assumption previously was that so-called light soft drinks, which contain no sugar or calories, are much healthier for the body than soft drinks containing sugar. However, according to a recent study, this does not seem to be the case.
The connection between the consumption of light soft drinks and the occurrence of fatty liver disease was examined in a total of 2,378 participants. Among the participants, 1,089 were affected by fatty liver disease.
Light soft drinks promote fatty liver disease
After adjusting for various confounding factors, it was found that excessive consumption of light soft drinks is significantly associated with the occurrence of fatty liver disease, the researchers report.
The body mass index (BMI) probably plays a mediating role in the association between the consumption of light soft drinks and liver disease.
Increased risk of stroke
In addition, according to another study, the consumption of artificially sweetened light soft drinks also appears to have a significant impact on the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The research showed that women have an increased risk of stroke if they drink two or more light soft drinks a day and are also obese.
Damage to intestinal flora
Another disadvantage of consuming light soft drinks relates to the intestinal flora. According to a previous study, this is because low-calorie light soft drinks can harm the beneficial bacteria in the intestines.
This is due to the sweeteners it contains, all of which harm the bacteria in the intestine in some way, the team reports.
Light soft drinks are also unhealthy
Taken together, the results make it clear that light soft drinks are by no means healthy. Among other things, they can have negative effects on the liver, the cardiovascular system and the intestinal flora. If you want to drink something healthy and low in calories, water is the better alternative. (as)
