Carbonated drinks are popular with everyone, especially young people. In addition to the good taste of carbonated beverages, drinking carbonated beverages in an appropriate amount can provide specific energy for the human body, play a particular role in maintaining the water-liquid electrolyte balance in the body, and the generated carbon dioxide can play a particular role in sterilization and acting as a bactericide, and prevent dementia.

Although carbonated drinks are good, they can’t drink continually or more, especially teenagers. Consuming too many carbonated beverages will lead to obesity and damage the health of teeth, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and other parts of the body. Let’s learn about the advantages and disadvantages of carbonated drinks!

What are the benefits of drinking carbonated drinks

Balances body water level.

The main component of carbonated drinks is water. After drinking, it can supplement the water and some sugar and minerals consumed by the body due to exercise and life activities and play a certain role in maintaining the balance of water, liquid, and electrolyte in the body.

Acts as an antiseptic and bactericidal.

Bacteria

Carbonated drinks contain carbon dioxide, so they can play the role of sterilization and bacteriostasis. They can also take away heat from the body through evaporation and cool down. Therefore, people often use it in the hot summer to relieve the heat.

Has a preventative effect on dementia.

Carbonated drinks can prevent dementia because the hippocampal region in the brain will become very active under the stimulation of rising blood sugar, while the function of the hippocampal region in Alzheimer’s patients will decline, and the hippocampal body will shrink. In addition, carbonated drinks have high sugar content, so they can prevent dementia.

Brings physical energy quickly.

Carbonated drinks are high in sugar and can bring energy.

Harmful of carbonated drinks on the body

The more you drink more thirsty

Some experts pointed out that carbonated drinks contain a lot of pigments, additives, preservatives, and other substances, none of which is good for the body.

These ingredients need a lot of water when they are metabolized in the body, and the caffeine contained in Coke also has a diuretic effect, which will promote the excretion of water. Therefore, the more you drink carbonated drinks, the more thirsty you feel.

Easly lead to obesity

Obesity man drinking soft drink

Carbonated drinks contain a lot of sugar. A small bottle of calories can be as high as 200 kcal. Long-term drinking will easily make people fat.

Damage to dental health

The phosphoric acid and carbonic acid components contained in carbonated drinks will react with enamel, resulting in the dissolution of minerals on teeth.

In the long run, the surface of teeth will become fragile, thin, and broken. In addition, teeth will have a strong sense of acid pain in case of cold, acid, heat, and other irritating foods.

Affect body growth and development

Carbonated drinks will affect the body’s absorption of calcium. Because the acidic components in carbonated drinks will make the human blood tend to be acidic, the human body has to neutralize calcium ions in bones.

In the long run, it will change the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in the human body and aggravate the loss of calcium. Teenagers who often drink carbonated drinks develop slowly and are prone to fractures.

Can harm to Kidneys

Carbonated drinks contain sugar and various food additives, which require a lot of water when metabolized in the body. In addition, the caffeine contained in cola has a diuretic effect, promoting the discharge of water, increasing the calcium content in urine, increasing the risk of kidney stones, and damaging the kidney.

Affect gastrointestinal functions

Carbonated drinks contain carbon dioxide. Too much carbon dioxide will cause abdominal distension, affect appetite, and even cause gastrointestinal dysfunction and damage health.

Can pregnant women drink carbonated drinks?

Pregnant mother drinking carbonated beverages

It is not recommended that pregnant women drink a lot of carbonated drinks during pregnancy because some components in carbonated beverages will cause huge harm to pregnant women and fetuses. So, what are those components?

Sugar in carbonated beverages

The biggest problem in carbonated drinks is the overuse of sugar. The pleasure of carbonated drinks often makes people underestimate the sugar content in carbonated drinks.

If pregnant women drink a small amount, of course, there is no problem, but if they drink every day or even a large amount, it will cause the daily sugar intake to exceed the standard level.

Phosphoric acid in carbonated beverages

Most of the ingredients of carbonated drinks contain phosphoric acid, which will gradually affect the bones. If you drink carbonated beverages often, it will threaten your bone health. Because the human body has requirements for various elements, the intake of a large amount of phosphoric acid will affect calcium absorption and cause an imbalance of the proportion of calcium and phosphorus.

Caffeine in carbonated beverages

Carbonated drinks also contain caffeine, like coffee and black tea, but the content is much lower than that of coffee and black tea, so it is usually ignored. The effects of caffeine on the human body are well known, and it can also cause uterine contractions.

Sodium bicarbonate in carbonated beverages

Adding sodium bicarbonate to citric acid will form carbonic acid gas and, finally, form carbonated water. This is not prohibited for pregnant women, but it contains salt. If pregnant women overeat salt, it will increase the burden on their stomachs and cause swelling of their feet.

Harms of drinking carbonated drinks during pregnancy

Lead to calcium deficiency during pregnancy

Carbonated drinks on the market generally contain phosphoric acid, which affects the absorption of calcium by the human body. In short, the more phosphoric acid, the less calcium.

So, can pregnant women drink carbonated drinks? Simply not. Pregnant mothers are prone to calcium deficiency during pregnancy. In addition, drinking carbonated beverages can further reduce the calcium content in the body. That affects fetal bone development, and pregnant mothers are prone to osteoporosis.

Lead to low blood sugar in pregnant mothers

Some nutritionists have pointed out that the biggest problem with carbonated drinks is using too much sugar. This is because carbonated drinks contain a lot of sugar. The taste of sugar is often washed away by strong stimulation, but it does exist.

Drinking carbonated drinks by pregnant mothers will seriously exceed the sugar intake, reduce the body’s glucose concentration, and cause pregnancy hypoglycemia.

Affect pregnant mother’s oral health

Checking teeth

The acidic components of carbonated drinks have a strong corrosive force on the teeth. Pregnant mothers will have some large or small adverse reactions in the mouth due to the influence of pregnancy hormones. Drinking carbonated drinks will aggravate oral problems and corrode the teeth.

Cause fetal malformation

Coke and other carbonated drinks contain caffeine. Even if I don’t say, pregnant mothers know how harmful caffeine is to the human body.

In addition to caffeine, carbonated drinks also contain a lot of spices and artificial colors. These chemicals are ingested by pregnant mothers, leading to fetal malformations.

Cause gastric dysfunction

Pregnant mothers and carbonated drinks can also cause indigestion and affect gastric function. After the carbon dioxide component of carbonated drinks enters the abdomen, it will lead to abdominal distention and gastric distention.

Drinking carbonated drinks will affect the stomach function of pregnant mothers, resulting in loss of appetite and indigestion. So pregnant mothers had better not drink carbonated beverages.

Cause fetal hypoxia

Carbonated water, the main component of carbonated drinks, contains a lot of carbon dioxide. After a large amount of carbon dioxide enters the mother, it will affect the blood oxygen content of the pregnant mother, which is easy to make the pregnant mother lack oxygen, resulting in fetal hypoxia.

Precautions for drinking carbonated drinks during pregnancy

Precautions for the selection of carbonated beverages

Water bottle and carbonated beverage bottle

If you really want to drink carbonated drinks, choosing more carbonated water than more sugar is better. In addition, you must choose an appropriate amount. For a real water supply, you should choose healthy drinks. When buying carbonated drinks, buy fewer plastic bottles to prevent excessive drinking.

Healthy replenishment

After pregnancy, it will increase physical exertion, and it is easier to sweat, and pregnant women often feel tasteless in their mouths. In other words, pregnant women take more water than usual. Carbonated soft drinks are not good for health, although they can add flavor to the mouth. It is recommended to choose ordinary drinking water or light tea. When you go out, using a kettle or your water bottle is better than a portable plastic bottle.

Here, I remind everyone that although carbonated drinks taste good, drinking carbonated beverages in moderation can also play a specific role in bactericidal and bacteriostatic, but you should not consume them in excess. Long-term drinking will also cause a certain burden on the body.

Also, in the early stage of pregnancy, we should pay great attention to the amount and degree of carbonated drinks and avoid developing the bad habit of drinking a lot because, in this way, we will carry this habit throughout pregnancy. Pregnant women should care for themselves and their babies to make the fetus grow healthily.

Author

Sam Perera, Founder of Stethostalk, is a food safety follower and organic food lover. He has completed the PLANT-BASED NUTRITION Cornell Certificate Program, Cornell University, US. Before this, he worked for a few years in IT services. A dedicated follower of nature, he believes in healing with natural foods. In his free time, he loves Gardening, Blogging, and traveling.