Most people are aware that soda doesn't  qualify as a health food.  Most people, however, are not aware of just how bad soda can be for your body. Did you know that soda can cause osteoporosis (weakening of the bones). Everyone knows that regular (non-diet) sodas will cause weight gain but have you heard that diet soda can also lead to disappointing results on the scale.

Most sodas are extremely high in phosphorus.  This is a problem because phosphorus and calcium compete for the same receptors in your body.  Calcium, unfortunately, is at a great disadvantage.  Your body has a 240 time greater affinity for phosphorus than calcium.  That means that when your body encounters calcium and phosphorus together, it will almost never choose calcium.  If you are consuming soda regularly, that means you will almost certainly be low on calcium.  As calcium is an important component for numerous physiological functions, the body will need to recruit calcium from other sources if it is not readily available from the diet.  Obviously, the largest source of calcium in your body is your bones.  As your body begins to scour the bones for calcium, they will become weaker and eventually this will lead to the condition noted as osteoporosis.

In regard to soda, causing weight gain, it is fairly easy to see how this is possible with regular, non-diet, sodas.  Generally, a soda is about 150 calories per 12 ounces.  These are completely empty calories, devoid of all nutrition. Considering an average person only burns 2000 calories per day, even one 12 ounce soda contains about 7.5% of the total calories allowed for the day.  When you consider that most people drink far larger quantities, (a 32 ounce soda would be 400 calories) it is easy to see how this can cause excessive weight gain.

More surprisingly is the fact that studies have shown people gain weight drinking diet soda.  One reason for this can be due to caffeine. Caffeine is not an external source of energy.  Caffeine simply acts to mobilize as much sugar (energy) into the cells as possible. When the cells are confronted with excess sugars, you experience increased energy.  After the sugar is utilized, there is then a marked drop in the blood sugar levels.  This results in your body experiencing a crash.  In a crash state, with blood sugars being low, your body will trigger a need to seek out foods to raise blood sugar quickly.  This will result in a hunt for junk food or foods high in sugar.  As these foods are usually high in calories, the end result is weight gain.

If you are a soda lover, it is okay to indulge yourself perhaps once a week.  But as a regular daily occurrence, the consumption of soda is placing your health at risk.