What is Soft Drinks?

Soft drinks is a typically contains carbonated water, a sweetener, and a natural or artificial flavoring. The amount of calories varies in soft drinks, depending on the sweetener used. Soft drinks get their fizz from the carbon dioxide added under pressure into the beverage solution. The pop that occurs upon opening a soft-drink container is the sound of carbon dioxide being released in the form of bubbles. Soft drinks are called "soft" in contrast with "hard" alcoholic beverages. Small amounts of alcohol may be present in a soft drink, but the alcohol content must be less than 0.5% of the total volume if the drink is to be considered non-alcoholic. They are available in many formats, including cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles

How Soft Drinks are produced?

Soft drinks are produced by mixing three basic ingredients, namely syrup, water and carbon dioxide. The first soft drinks appeared in the 19th century, shortly after the process for manufacturing artificial sparkling mineral water was developed. In the 20th century, these sweet, fizzy, refreshing drinks offered an alternative to the increasingly high consumption of alcoholic beverages.

General method for manufacturing soft drinks
It is relatively simple to manufacture soft drinks by mixing three ingredients: water, syrup and carbon dioxide. Different types of sugar are used to make the syrup: sucrose, fructose (which is derived from starch), or sweeteners. A blend of plant or fruit extracts is added to this sugar solution, the composition of which remains a trade secret. The water and syrup are then mixed together in extremely precise proportions. The final stage in the process is the carbonation of the drink by adding carbon dioxide. Various acidifiers, sweeteners and colouring agents can be included in the industrial manufacturing of soft drinks. Energy drinks differ from soft drinks because of their very high caffeine content.

Nowadays, thanks to the soda machine, a home appliance which makes carbonating drinks easy, you can make your own soft drinks or mineral water.
Source: https://www.alimentarium.org/en/knowledge/soft-drinks-0

Soft drinks producers

In every area of the world there are major soft drink producers. However a few major North American companies are present in most of the countries of the world, such as Pepsi and Coca Cola.

Effect of drinking Soft drinks

Type 2 Diabetes - The high sugar levels in the average drink cause a sharp spike in your blood glucose level, and without helping you stay satiated for long. As a result, your body feels hunger and fatigue, unleashing a vicious cycle that negatively impacts your waistline and ups your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Obesity risk in children - Since children enjoy guzzling these sugary drinks, they are at a greater risk. As one study indicates, decreasing soft drinks intake can significantly reduce obesity in children and adolescents.
Considering many of them have no nutritional benefits, these drinks have no place in children’s diet. The caffeine in many of them can replace the nutrient-dense foods like milk and suppress hunger in children.

Heart disease - Obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type-2 diabetes, all of which become more likely with sugary drink consumption, are all markers for cardiovascular disease.
When you’re consuming too much sugar from unhealthy sources, there are fewer chances of your eating nutrient- and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. This can lead to an imbalance in your lipids and cause heart problems. In a study conducted over 2 decades, men who consumed soft drinks regularly were found to be 20% more at risk of getting a heart attack.

Dental problems - There is yet another reason why too much sugar in your soda can wipe away smiles. The sugar in your sodas, when acted upon by the bacteria in the mouth, becomes an acid. And this acid attacks teeth enamel and weakens it. Children and adolescents are especially susceptible to tooth decay because of their underdeveloped enamel.

Kidney trouble - In a study on 465 patients of chronic kidney disease and 467 healthy people, it was found that drinking 2 glasses of cola daily, but not non-cola beverages, raised the risk of kidney disease by 2 times. This was attributed to the phosphoric acid in colas which causes urinary disturbances, kidney stones, and chronic kidney disease.

Cancer - The added colors and preservatives in drinks spell more trouble for you. And this is trouble of the worst kind.

Cola Color - The trademark caramel color of the popular colas may be aesthetically pleasing but its effects are pure evil: 4-methylimidazole is a carcinogen found in the brown food coloring. In a laboratory setting, 4-methylimidazole caused lung, liver, and thyroid cancer in mice.

Orange-flavored drinks - The vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in cheerful orange drinks is known to react with sodium benzoate, a common preservative found in the soft drinks, to form benzene.

Benzene - a carcinogen that has been found to damage bone marrow cells and cause blood cancer in animal studies.

Plastic bottles and aluminum cans - Plastic and cans used for packaging soft drinks are laden with chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA), the infamous carcinogen also known for disrupting hormones and raising blood pressure.

Asthma - A study in Australia found that consuming more than 500 ml of soft drinks every day was associated with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). The researchers surmised that several factors could be at play here. The high quantity of sugar in sodas could set off allergies in the airways and cause inflammation. Soft drinks preservatives like nitrites, sulphites, and sodium benzoate could worsen these symptoms. The phthalates in the soft drink bottles are also linked to asthma.
https://www.curejoy.com/content/harmful-effects-of-soft-drinks/

Not only do soft drinks offer no nutrition, they also contain harmful chemicals. Their high sugar content, often high-fructose corn syrup, can cause diabetes and affect the heart and liver. Preservatives like phosphoric acid can cause bone loss and kidney disease and citric acid can cause severe dental erosion. The caramel color in cola and the chemicals in the containers are also linked to cancer. Drink infused water or kombucha instead.

Instead of soft drinks...

Water!!! Drink water instead of soft drinks. Plain H²O, water don't have a harmful effect. When you drink it, it is safe for you.

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