Among the tips on how to preserve beauty and health, recommendations to drink are increasingly heard more fluid... Indeed, for normal life, a person needs to drink 1.5-2 liters of clean water per day. It is pure, not mineral or carbonated. Juices will not work either. And coffee and tea work in a completely different way - they remove fluid from the body. But all this is the lesser of evils. Let's talk about the most harmful drinks that are flooded with store shelves - about soda.

Not so long ago, there were soda and syrup vending machines in all cities. Later, the Buratino lemonade appeared in glass bottles... And we didn’t notice how we switched from these practically harmless drinks to imported “fizzy drinks”, which not only have pleasant taste, but also perfectly remove lime on plumbing. Unfortunately, adults themselves are not averse to pampering themselves with such drinks, and they successfully water their children with them. Let's try to figure out why carbonated drinks are so harmful.

Is carbon dioxide dangerous?

It should be noted that not all carbonated drinks have a negative effect on the human body... The fact is that carbon dioxide, our beloved bubbles, by itself is not harmful. It is used as a preservative for better preservation of the drink. However, it can cause discomfort in the intestines and flatulence. Therefore, people who have digestive problems should release the gas before drinking the drink. Ordinary mineral or medicinal carbonated water is not harmful, and even very useful.

Sugar or sweeteners

What else is added to carbonated drinks? Sugar, of course. By itself, it is not only harmful to our body. These are pure carbohydrates that energize our cells. But you need to remember that in a large number sugar is bad. It is bad for the skin, teeth and contributes to weight gain. However, nowadays you rarely find a drink containing sugar. The fact is that it is much more profitable for manufacturers to use sugar substitutes. They are of different types, and you can talk about them for a very long time. But if such substances as cyclamate (E 952), saccharin (E 954), aspartame (E 951) or sucrasite are indicated on the package, you should not drink such lemonade. First, some of these substances are banned in Europe and America. Studies have shown that they have a negative effect on the liver and kidneys, and also contribute to the development of various diseases, up to cancerous tumors... Secondly, sweeteners make you feel hungry. Therefore, soda contributes to weight gain. Even the so-called "diet cola" is the enemy of our figure, because it improves appetite.

There are drinks where vegetable components are used as sweeteners - sorbitol, xylitol and fructose. They are absolutely harmless, but very high in calories. Therefore, if you are not afraid to dial excess weight, you can drink lemonades with sugar or natural sweeteners.

The taste and smell of carbonated drinks

Carbonated drinks often contain codes starting with the letter "E"... Some of them, as we already know, mean sweeteners, the rest are flavor enhancers, preservatives, acidity regulators, flavorings and colorants. The more all kinds of "E" in the drink, the more harmful it is. You should also pay attention to the item "flavorings are identical to natural". They may be identical only in smell, but they have a negative effect on the liver. If you are looking for harmless drink, then it is worthwhile to dwell on where the plant extracts are indicated in the composition and natural flavors... Such soda will be more expensive, but it will also do less harm.

Acids and caffeine

Acids are often used as acidity regulators - citric (E330), orthophosphoric (E 338) and malic (E 296). Any acid damages the body - it damages the enamel of the teeth, causing caries, and leaches calcium from the bones. An increase in acidity in the stomach can also cause digestive disorders and contributes to the development of gastrointestinal diseases.

Caffeine in carbonated drinks is very harmful. It temporarily tones the body up, but this effect passes very quickly, and it is replaced by lethargy and drowsiness. Moreover, frequent use caffeine puts a huge strain on the heart and circulatory system.

As seen, mostly carbonated drinks are unhealthy... Perhaps, among the harmless ones, there are mineral waters and lemonades made on the basis of plant components.

Carbonated drinks production

Any lemonade is based on water. Therefore, during the production of the drink, special requirements are imposed on its quality. World producers make sure that water in their factories undergoes thorough, multi-stage purification. After all, the quality of this liquid affects the taste of the drink, its aroma and, of course, the health of the buyer. First, all small particles are removed from the water. After all impurities are eliminated, it becomes perfectly transparent. This is the first stage of filtration.

Then the water goes through several more stages of purification until its properties meet all requirements and standards. Most final stage Is the passage of water through carbon filter... This procedure removes the smallest particles, and even microbes and bacteria. Thanks to her, the water acquires excellent taste and aromatic properties... To remove particles of coal that have accidentally got into the water, it is additionally passed through a polishing filter. The water can then be used to prepare any drink.

The next important ingredient in lemonade is syrup. It is he who gives unique taste and the aroma of the drink. Each company has its own unique recipe preparation of syrup. Global manufacturers, with branches in hundreds of countries, send the concentrate in closed containers so that no one can find out the secret formula.

The finished concentrate is mixed with white sugar syrup in the blending department. And already ready mix sent to the workshop, where the lemonade is made directly. But before that, the syrup must undergo quality control in a specialized laboratory. It must comply not only with the manufacturer's internal requirements, but also with international standards.

In the bottling shop, carbon dioxide is injected into the water, mixed with syrup and bottled. After that, all products go through a control system. Bottles with crookedly glued stickers, with underfilling or overflowing lemonade go to marriage.

Contraindications for carbonated drinks

Despite all the recommendations, most people in all countries continue to drink carbonated drinks... But there are groups of people for whom soda is contraindicated. You can not drink it for those who have chronic diseases. digestive system(peptic ulcer, gastritis, colitis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, etc.). The fact is that carbon dioxide irritates the mucous membranes. internal organs, which can cause an exacerbation of the disease. Even medicinal mineral water can be drunk only after most of the gas is released from it. Doctors recommend not to give carbonated drinks to children under 3 years old, and older people should not drink them. Lemonades are contraindicated for people suffering from obesity, diabetes and allergic reactions. Also, if you have a weak liver or kidneys, you should refrain from soda, or you can find a drink made using natural ingredients.

Image copyright Getty

You can often hear warnings about harm overuse plain sparkling water - supposedly it has negative impact on the stomach, bones and teeth. Is it really? - the correspondent decided to figure it out.

Everyone knows that the constant consumption of sugary carbonated drinks is harmful to health - the combination of high sugar content with high acidity has bad influence on the body.

If you leave a coin in a glass of cola overnight, it will be clean and shiny the next morning. The reason for this is the phosphoric acid contained in the drink, which dissolves the oxide coating that covers the coin.

So it's healthier to drink plain water... But ordinary water does not have a pronounced taste, so many occasionally drink carbonated water for a change.

However, there is an opinion that plain sparkling water is also harmful. Is it really?

Let's start with the stomach. The addition of carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide) under pressure makes carbonated water. In fact, the water turns into a solution of carbon dioxide.

If you drink a glass of this water in one gulp, then in some cases this may be followed by an attack of hiccups or indigestion.

But what if you drink slower and more measured? Is it possible that even then plain sparkling water has a negative effect on the stomach?

It turns out quite the opposite. In one randomized, double-blind study conducted in the early 2000s, patients with dyspepsia or constipation were asked to drink plain water for 15 days.

One group drank carbonated, the other non-carbonated. The participants were then examined.

It turned out that the condition of those who drank carbonated water improved, while in the control group it remained unchanged.

Consumption of plain sparkling water in large quantities can lead to bulging, but Japanese researchers concluded that this side effect there is also a positive side.

In a recent experiment, a group of women did not eat anything in the evening, and in the morning they were given a slow drink of a glass of either still or carbonated water.

It was found that drinking only 250 ml of water in the stomach produces 900 ml of gas. Unsurprisingly, women felt full when they weren't actually eating anything.

At the same time, the participants in the experiment did not feel any discomfort. Therefore, plain soda is now recommended as a remedy for overeating.

Harmful to bones?

For dehydration caused by indigestion, severe vomiting, or a common hangover, some people let soda stand before drinking to get gas out of it.

However, scientists who tested this method on a group of children with acute gastroenteritis found no evidence that it was effective.

In addition, it turned out that, compared to rehydration solutions designed to replenish the salt and sugar content in the body, ordinary carbonated water with gas released from it contains much less necessary for the body sodium and potassium.

Well, well, even if soda doesn't harm the stomach, then perhaps it makes bones more fragile?

There is no scientific evidence to unequivocally support this statement.

According to a Canadian study published in 2001, adolescents who consume sugary soda (not plain water) in large quantities, there is indeed a reduced calcium content in bone tissue, but researchers are not entirely sure whether the drinks themselves are the reason, or the fact that adolescents who drink them constantly do not drink milk.

In 1948, in the American state of Massachusetts, the so-called Framingham Heart Study began - a large group of residents of the town of Framingham (for several generations - the study is still ongoing) for many years was under medical observation in order to identify risk factors leading to the development of heart disease ...

Now, the descendants of some of these subjects are participating in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study, conducted by Tufts University in Boston.

As part of this study, over 2,500 participants undergo a comprehensive screening every four years. Among the objectives of the 2006 survey was to investigate the relationship between bone density and carbonated beverage consumption.

Scientists analyzed different kinds drinks that the subjects regularly drink.

They concluded that in women (but not in men), cola drinkers three times a week, the average density of minerals in the pelvic bones is lower than that of those who do not consume cola as often.

No effect of the consumption of other types of carbonated drinks on the composition of bone tissue was found. The authors of the study hypothesized that caffeine and phosphoric acid (neither one nor the other plain carbonated water does not contain caffeine and phosphoric acid), according to which the mechanism of action on bones is not yet fully understood, may be the reason for the decrease in mineral density.

It is possible that phosphoric acid somehow blocks the absorption of calcium by the bone tissue, but how exactly this happens, no one knows yet.

10 years after the announcement of this discovery, there is still debate about the extent to which a person's diet can affect the state of his bones.

So, in all likelihood, no negative impact plain sparkling water does not affect the bones and stomach. And on the teeth?

It would seem that any acid, even in a weak concentration, should destroy tooth enamel. However, this is not necessarily the case.

The effect of plain soda water on teeth has been little studied, but data on other soda drinks is plentiful.

In 2007, Barry Owens of the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis conducted a comparative study of different types of carbonated drinks.

It was found that cola-based drinks are the most acidic. They are followed by diet colas and coffee drinks at the bottom of the list.

Cumulative effect

Owens emphasizes that it is not the initial acid-base balance of the drink that is important here, but how much it retains acidity in the presence of other substances, since in reality saliva is present in the mouth, as well as other foods that can affect the acidity level.

The ability of a solution to maintain an acid-base balance is associated with its so-called buffer capacity.

If you drink through a straw, the drink will go straight into the back of your mouth and will have minimal impact on your teeth.

Colas have the highest buffering capacity (which means they also have the highest acidity), followed by their diet versions, then fruit sodas, fruit juices and finally coffee.

In other words, some of the carbonated drinks can actually harm your tooth enamel.

Poonam Jain, of Southern Illinois University School of Dentistry, placed shards of tooth enamel in jars of various sodas for 6, 24 and 48 hours and found that the enamel was indeed beginning to deteriorate.

You can find fault with the purity of this experiment, because in real life no one keeps a drink in their mouth for so long.

But if your teeth are exposed to drinks for years, even if each sip only takes a few seconds, the consequences can be the same.

Front teeth young man partially collapsed after he drank half a liter of cola every day for four years in a row, and then - for another three years - a liter and a half a day, plus some fruit juice.

However, a lot depends on how you drink it. This patient, in addition to occasionally brushing his teeth, also "held each portion of the drink in his mouth for a few seconds, savoring its taste before swallowing."

Swedish researchers compared five different ways drinking drinks - in one gulp, in slow sips and through a straw. It turned out that what longer drink lingers in the mouth, the more significantly the acidity of the environment in the oral cavity increases.

But if you drink through a straw, the drink immediately enters the back of the mouth, and its effect on the teeth is minimal.

So what about plain soda?

Ekaterin Brown from the University of Birmingham conducted an experiment by placing extracted human teeth without signs of caries for 30 minutes in vessels with different kinds flavored soda water.

Each tooth was pre-coated with varnish, with the exception of a small area with a diameter of half a centimeter.

It was found that drinks had no less, and in some cases more, destructive effect on the teeth than Orange juice which has already been found to soften tooth enamel.

Plain soda water's ability to decay teeth is 100 times lower than that of some other types of soda

Soda, lime and grapefruit flavors were found to be the most acidic, probably because they use citric acid as a flavoring agent.

Thus, flavored carbonated waters are not at all as harmless to teeth as regular water. Can the same be said for unflavored plain sparkling water?

There is very little research in this area, but in 2001, researchers at the University of Birmingham examined seven different brands of plain soda water by placing extracted human teeth in them.

It turned out that these drinks have an acid-base balance of 5-6 (that is, they are less acidic than some types of col, in which the acid-base balance can reach a value of 2.5).

For comparison, the balance of plain still water is 7 units, that is, it is equal to the balance of a neutral medium. In other words, as scientists suspected, plain carbonated waters are weak acidic solutions.

However, their ability to decay teeth is 100 times lower than that of some other types of carbonated drinks.

Of course, the oral environment is different from that of a laboratory beaker, but so far there is little evidence that plain sparkling water is harmful to teeth.

So if you are fed up with the simple still water, you can diversify the simple carbonated menu. Well, to minimize the risk to teeth, you can drink it through a straw.

Denial of responsibility

All information contained in this article is intended only for general information and should not be considered as a substitute for the medical advice of your PCP or any other healthcare professional. The BBC is not responsible and cannot be held responsible for the content of external Internet sites mentioned here. It also does not call for the use of any commercial products or services mentioned or recommended on any of these sites. Always contact your healthcare professional if you have any concerns about your health.

I remember that during the Soviet era, the purchase of Buratino lemonade with a recognizable apron label under the neck of a bottle made of dark green glass was a real joy for children. The sizzling drink quickly ended in a half-liter GOST container, but for some reason the parents did not buy this symbol of Soviet childhood for the future.

But today, in the vastness of the Motherland, you can find soda of any taste, color and volume. Wealth trade marks and recipes, however, converge to a common denominator - all sugary soda contains excessive amounts of sugar.

What harm can harmless lemonade cause to the body and why are they trumpeting at every corner today about the need to stop consuming all these carbonated syrups? Let's figure it out.

Pros or cons?

Since ancient times, healers have paid attention to mineral water springs enriched with carbon dioxide released during the reaction of chemical components dissolved in water. In ancient times, they were treated with such water, they quenched their thirst, and also observed the effect of such drinks on the health of patients.

It turned out that carbonated water better quenches thirst and invigorates. For people with low stomach acidity, a drink saturated with carbon dioxide helps to provoke the secretion of gastric juice and food enzymes, and exacerbates the feeling of hunger. The richness of mineral salts and trace elements makes it possible to compensate for the deficiency of such compounds in the human body. Minerals such as calcium and magnesium saturate bones and muscle tissue with essential building blocks, beneficially affecting the skeleton and helping to keep our teeth, hair and nails in order. Carbon dioxide preserves these reserves in water, preventing them from reacting with each other; moreover, it sterilizes the environment in which it is located, preventing bacteria from multiplying.

However, increased stimulation of gastric secretion is not suitable for people with peptic ulcer disease, pancreatitis, gastritis. Any malfunctions gastrointestinal tract, leading to an increase in the acidity of the gastric environment, put a restriction on the use of any carbonated mixture. For such patients, soda is contraindicated, as it will further exacerbate the disease. If after drinking soda you have heartburn or dry mouth, bloating or painful sensations in your side, you should pay a visit to a gastroenterologist, because the matter may not be in the disgusting quality of raw materials for an unsuccessfully purchased drink, but in the progressive pathological processes of the "fuel system" of your organism.
Even if you are the type to boast good health, we do not advise you to abuse even dietary, but carbonated drinks. According to research conducted in the United States, regular consumption of carbonated mineral water led to the development of cardiovascular diseases one and a half times more often in those subjects who consumed just carbonated mineral water.

So useful or not?

For non-indigestion shoppers, carbonated mineral water is not a threat in moderation, which is not the case for sweetened carbonated drinks. The main focus of sweet soda is made on the children's audience, because children are very fond of sweets, sugar is the main source of energy for a hyperactive young growing body. Following the lead of their child, adults include sugary drinks in their diet to the detriment of fermented milk products, which should supply the young body with the calcium and potassium that it needs so much. Who used sweet syrup You cannot force a child to eat well.

This means he is a candidate victim of osteoporosis and diabetes. These creepy diagnoses are facilitated by a whole bunch of stabilizers that are added to the drink and caffeine, which, although invigorating, giving strength, but helps the leaching of minerals from the bones, weakening the still unformed children's skeleton. In drinks such as the famous Coca-Cola, the formulation contains phosphoric acid, which significantly increases the acidity of the product. The acid contributes to the long-term preservation of the product, which makes it cheaper to store the drink, but it negatively affects the walls of the gastric mucosa, provoking the diseases that we mentioned above.

White death

By the way, about sugar. On most coca-cola bottles you can find information about the amount contained in the drink “ white powder”. Typically, a rate of 9 grams is indicated for every 100 grams of drink. This means that in a two-liter plastic bottle sugar will be about two hundred grams. This is about 32 pieces of refined sugar.

Drinking two liters of Coca-Cola in hot weather is not a problem. It's like drinking 8 glasses of tea with 4 refined sugar cubes thrown into each of them. From such an amount of sweet tea, an ordinary person would feel bad, but when using Cola, this does not happen due to the additives contained in the drink and the general carbonation of the mixture. After all, carbon dioxide adds sourness and blocks taste buds... Only the number of calories consumed does not decrease. After drinking two liters of sweet soda, a person gets almost half of his daily allowance calories. Considering that soda stimulates appetite, the matter will not be limited to one drink, which means that with regular use cola or other sweet drink will accumulate surplus unspent energy and this will inevitably lead to weight gain.

To drink or not to drink?

It will not be superfluous to remember that the presence of acids, coupled with a high sugar content, negatively affects our teeth. Carbonic and orthophosphoric acids destroy tooth enamel, and sugar molecules trapped in small cracks and defects become centers of caries development. An overdose of sugar and preservatives, with all the abundance of liquid with which they enter human body, paradoxically, cause tissue dehydration.

That is why many people notice that you cannot get drunk with sweet soda - no matter how much you drink it, you want more. For marketing schemes, this is an ideal combination, but our health does not fit into these schemes. But we can also remember about the harm from dyes based on ammonia components added to some carbonated drinks. By interacting with sugar, ammonia produces carcinogenic compounds that provoke the development of cancer cells... This is a drink you won't wish on your enemy!

Therefore, if you really care about your health and about your loved ones, we recommend quenching your burning thirst with degassed mineral water or green tea!

Some people claim that they cannot get drunk with plain water in any way, but sparkling water amazingly cools in the heat and quenches thirst! Perhaps it is so. But this article is for those who have not yet decided on the question of what they want more: not feel thirsty or be sure of the benefits of what you drink ... I'm not talking now about sugary carbonated drinks, the harm of which is constantly discussed. Only about clean water with and without gas.

So, what does carbonated water bring us: thirst quenching and benefit or harm to the body. Is gas in water as terrible as they say about it? What is healthier to drink: sparkling water or still water?

To the origins of sparkling water

Let's go back to history. The secret of making soda water was discovered as unexpectedly as many other great discoveries. In 1767, the English scientist Joseph Priestley made his own bottle of the first sparkling water. The fact is that he lived near the brewery and his curiosity was attracted the bubbles that beer gives off during fermentation. The scientist placed a container of water over the brewing beer and soon discovered that the water has absorbed gas and has an unusual pleasant and pungent taste... For this discovery, Priestley was admitted to the French Academy of Sciences and was awarded the Royal Society Medal. And carbonated water began to be sold in pharmacies.

Carbonated water caught on and gained popularity. Gas began to be added to sugary drinks. In 1833, the first carbonated lemonades were marketed in England. In the 1930s, Schwepp founded a company in England that made lemonades and other sweets. fruit waters thriving to this day.

"Prohibition" in the USA in 1920-1933. - gave impetus to the development of the production of carbonated drinks, tk. now consumers were forced to substitute soft drinks for wine and whiskey.

Soda production. It's all about the gas.

So, back to our time.

Carbonated water is gas-saturated water. Usually used for gassing carbon dioxide (CO2) which dissolves well in water. By itself, it is harmless and even helps keep water fresh longer, and on the label it is designated as E290. But the effect of this gas on the stomach, not even the gas itself, but small bubbles with it, stimulates the secretion of the stomach, and this leads to increased acidity and bloating. Carbonated water also stimulates the secretion of gastric juice, which makes you feel hungry. People prone to obesity should not drink carbonated water.

Carbon dioxide simply stretches the walls of the stomach, causing belching. With gas, acid is thrown into the esophagus from the stomach, and this can lead to very negative consequences.

Whom to drink, who not to drink ...

To sum up all of the above, then we can conclude: carbonated water is harmful for those who have problems with the stomach and intestines - ulcers, gastritis, colitis or acidity.

But in general, if you do not have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, you can drink carbonated water, but not every day and in small quantities.

Let me remind you again that this does not apply to sweet drinks with gas, which are contraindicated to drink even for healthy people.

Shaking a bottle of sparkling water and leaving it open for a while will eliminate or significantly reduce the aggressive effect of gas bubbles.

About mineral water, the principle remains the same. All the same carbon dioxide, and the irritating effect of bubbles, which you can always shake and "blow off" a little.

Actually, though carbonated water without additives will not do harm, and it really refreshes, and even for some people it can be useful, a drink has not yet been invented better than plain purified water. Read our article on water wellness here.

Bottom line: the harm and benefits of soda water

Benefits of sparkling water

- Sparkling water refreshes and quenches thirst.

- For people who suffer from low acidity, doctors recommend drinking carbonated water, as it improves the secretion of gastric juice.

The harm of soda water

- Small bubbles of soda stimulate gastric secretion, resulting in increased acidity and bloating.

- Carbonated water increases appetite and is harmful to overweight people.

- Soda is harmful to pregnant women as it prevents normal work intestines.

About 20% of people in the world suffer from obesity, problems associated with overweight experienced by every second person on the planet. Today it is fashionable to hold discussions on the topic healthy way life, it is fashionable to go in for sports, it is fashionable to follow a diet, monitor your own diet, but for some reason most people in pursuit of healthy food forget about healthy drinking. While it is drinks that can account for about half of the calorie content of the daily diet, cause metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, skin diseases, respiratory tract diseases and so on.

According to the UN, at the same time as the standard of living around the world is increasing and the number of people experiencing a lack of food is decreasing, the number of obese people is growing, scientists are especially concerned about the problems of overweight in children and adolescents. Science has established a direct link between the rise in the standard of living of the population and the increase in the number of obese people in this country. What is the reason for this?

There are two most likely reasons for the weight gain in modern people: 1. People began to move less, decreased energy consumption, 2. People began to eat more or began to eat more high-calorie foods.

People didn't move less

According to the results of research conducted by specialists from the University of Aberdeen (Great Britain) and the University of Maastricht (Holland), it has been established that over the past 20 years a person has not spent less energy on his daily activities. The energy consumption of people of the twenty-first century practically does not differ from the energy consumption of people at the end of the twentieth century, when cars for many were a luxury, and not a means of transportation and modern household appliances were just a pipe dream of most housewives.

People didn't eat anymore

Russian doctors unanimously say that the culture of food consumption in the country is growing, more and more people prefer healthy food, but all the same doctors say that the number of obese children is growing in Russia. It is known that the problem of childhood obesity is a family problem, which means that the whole family leads an unhealthy lifestyle. The main cause of obesity is the increase in the caloric intake of the daily diet from food and drinks.

Hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, chips, chocolate bars and sugary carbonated drinks made slightly less than half of the inhabitants of developed European countries and almost 2/3 of Americans fat and sick. In Russia, the murderous achievements of Western civilization have passed only the stage of formation - everyone is accustomed to the fact that they are. But if the absolute majority of Russians (about 80%) are aware of the danger of fast food products, then only about 15% of people consider sugary carbonated drinks to be no less dangerous. 99% of compatriots think absolutely safe use juices and non-carbonated drinks.

Modern people have replaced water with food

Over the past 30-35 years, the number of calories from the consumption of liquids has doubled. According to a recent opinion poll, American teens today consume orders of magnitude more soda than their peers ten years ago. So, 84% of teenagers drink fizzy every day, getting an additional 356 kilocalories due to this.

In Russia, there are no such statistics yet, but the authorities are fully aware of sweet drinks, so in 2006 the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation banned the sale of chips, caramel and sweet carbonated drinks in schools. They were replaced by products that are healthy for children - primarily milk, kefir and bottled water.

The fight against sugary drinks is being waged all over the world. Most European countries and the United States have introduced corresponding bans on the sale of sugary drinks in schools. Many scientists believe that the problem cannot be solved by prohibitions; other methods are needed. So, in the UK, they tested the persuasion method on children. Special lessons were held with children of 7-11 years old, during which the nurse convinced them to cut down on carbonated drinks. This request was constantly repeated by the teachers. The other 14 classes did not receive specific guidance. All children themselves chose what they would eat and drink, but at the end of the year, researchers found that children who received special recommendations for proper nutrition, reduced the consumption of carbonated drinks by 60%. In this group, by the end of the year, the percentage of obese children increased by only 0.2%, while students who did not receive separate recommendations at the end of the year consumed 20% more carbonated drinks and the percentage of obese children rose by almost 8%.

Manufacturers soft drinks initiated a number of studies, thanks to which it was supposed to rehabilitate sugary drinks. In these studies, we are not talking about proving or disproving the harm of sugary carbonated drinks, in them researchers are trying to prove that if you deprive people of sugary drinks, they will still get better, because instead of the usual glass of Cola, for example, they will eat a couple of hamburgers. The conclusions of these studies suggest themselves: better man to drink a glass of standard Coca-Cola, the calorie content of which is only (total !!!) 158 kcal, than to eat two hamburgers 230 kcal X 2, a total of 460 kcal.

Meanwhile, Russian researchers say that modern people have long been accustomed to taking the body thirst signal for the hunger signal. Hence overeating, being overweight, and digestive problems. Which not only do not disappear, but are also aggravated by the fact that the body begins to expend precious water to produce additional amounts of saliva, instead of using it to remove acid.

What to do?

So, we have found out that in order to maintain a figure and health, it is not enough to follow what we eat, it is necessary to pay attention to what we drink. In order not to perceive the signals of our body's thirst as signals of hunger, it is necessary to drink water. In order for food to be better absorbed and satiety to come faster, it is very important to drink a glass of water 20 minutes before a meal and a glass of water after a meal. As you know, many actresses and ballerinas use such simple measures to preserve their figure.

When it comes to sugary drinks, it is best to exclude them from your diet, especially carbonated drinks. In addition to extra calories sugary drinks contain many different substances that are not harmless to the body. One of the most famous is aspartame - food supplement, a sweetener that is used for the so-called, diet drinks... Aspartame 200 times sweeter than sugar but does not contain carbohydrates. This sweetener is licensed in more than a hundred countries around the world, including Russia. It's believed that daily dose- 40 mg per 1 kg of weight is absolutely safe (one glass of soda contains 50 mg of aspartame). All other carbonated drinks contain sugar. A small bottle of Pepsi-Cola contains 8 pieces of sugar (58 kcal / 100ml). As you can see, it is harmful to drink both regular soda and dietary soda, and there are no precise studies on what causes more harm to the body sugar or aspartame.

The next health hazard often found in sugary drinks is classified as a mild stimulant. nervous system... Children who consume a lot of caffeine are more restless, fall asleep poorly, and often suffer from headaches. Their ability to concentrate may be impaired. In addition, caffeine increases urinary calcium loss.

The drinks also contain colorants, most often the "yellow-5" colorant is used in carbonated drinks. It can cause various allergic reactions- from bronchial asthma to urticaria and rhinitis.

And finally, carbon dioxide, the presence of which in water stimulates gastric secretion, increases the acidity of gastric juice and provokes flatulence - abundant gas production.

Carbonated drinks have a number of contraindications

In no case should carbonated drinks be given to children under 3 years of age. People with chronic diseases, for example, allergies, overweight, stomach ailments, diabetes mellitus... Substances contained in carbonated drinks can worsen well-being in chronic patients or even provoke another attack. In case of kidney diseases, doctors, when prescribing a diet to patients, must note that carbonated drinks are strictly contraindicated for them. Doctors suggest that phosphoric acid, used as an acidifier, is to blame for the formation of kidney stones. For overweight people or those who want to lose weight, carbonated drinks are generally not recommended. There are studies by American specialists, thanks to which it was proved that sugary soda almost doubles the likelihood of obesity. Of course, one cannot assume that fullness depends only on the use of soda, but this is one of the important factors.

In addition to all of the above, sugary carbonated drinks can cause illness and quite healthy people... First of all, it is caries. The refined sugar found in soda contributes to tooth decay. Secondly, such drinks can provoke the onset of osteoporosis. This remark applies mainly to children and people after 40 years. Elderly people, especially women, always suffer from calcium deficiency, so doctors, already at 38-39 years old, often recommend taking calcium tablets. Caffeine, which we talked about earlier, contributes to the excretion of calcium in the urine.

As for teenagers. From 9 to 18 years old, the body is actively accumulating. Sugary sodas not only promote calcium excretion, they are often an alternative to milk in the diet of children, which is a source of calcium. Calcium deficiency in childhood leads to stunted growth and a high likelihood of osteoprosis in adulthood.

It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that sweet carbonated drinks in the diet of both adults and children can be replaced only with milk, tea - herbal or green, kvass, freshly squeezed juices without added sugar and water. Water in this series is beyond competition. First, because it is an ideal food solvent. Secondly, the human body needs water and food for normal functioning, and according to experts, our body perceives all drinks, except water, as food. And finally, the main benefit of water is the lack of calories in it.

It is pointless to replace sweet carbonated drinks with non-carbonated ones. Drinking too much juice can also cause obesity, stunted growth, digestive problems and tooth decay, according to scientists. Even if the juice is loaded with minerals and vitamins, it also contains a lot of sugar.

Many people call the use of sweet soda an addiction, citing the fact that it is difficult to give up. To learn how to drink plain water, we advise you to use our tips:

1. It is better to give up sweet soda gradually. It's easier to start with soda water. Carry a bottle of sparkling mineral water with you with your usual Cola. Try to alternate these drinks with a preference for unsweetened water.

2. As you know, in order to change your habits you need strong motivation, so before you give up sugary soda, find more information about its dangers, use the information on the label for this purpose.

3. Experiment with different brands of water until you find the one you like best.