A Recipe for Disaster: The Truth About America's Favorite Soft Drink

For a while now the general public has been warned about the risk of becoming overweight from the over consumption of soda. Now researchers have claimed that high fructose corn syrup, a key ingredient in the soda mixture, may be causing long term damage to the kidneys. Kidneys, one of the essential organs, are significant to the wellness of the body because they filter out excess wastes and fluids. Most kidney diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure, usually attack the nephrons, which are the basic structural and functional units of the kidneys. These diseases cause the nephrons to lose their filtering capacity and consequently break down the effectiveness of these essential organs. Besides the fact that soda may be causing this to happen, Americans still drink this beverage because it is cost-effective and gives a sudden rush of energy. These two factors overrule the health issue involved with drinking this beverage. To ask for healthier alternatives, people need to gradually ease away from the habit of drinking soda and try other, much fortifying drinks. If for any reason, this cannot be done, complete withdrawal from soda is not necessary if soda is strictly consumed moderately. Even this alternative is much safer for the functioning of the kidneys, as well as, managing body weight.

A research conducted at the Loyola University Medical Center discussed whether soda consumption was, in actuality, causing such damage to occur in the kidneys. Dr. David Shoham, from the Loyola University Medical Center, and his colleagues used the U.S. population based National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2004) to study the impact of soda consumption on the health of the American people. The team came up with the conclusion that soda, which is high in fructose and is found in the American diet, guides consumers towards developing kidney failure. After trying to figure out why consumers would single handily throw away their health for the sake of one soft drink, researchers came up with the assertion that due to the relative affordability of manufacturing high fructose corn syrup, companies are able to lower their prices, thereby, allowing consumers purchase soft drinks. This is surprising because soda has no nutritional value and people are constantly drinking it and purposely causing damage to their internal organs.

When consumed, high fructose corn syrup actually increases hunger and chemically decreases the signaling of the liver to produce insulin. Because of this, people become diabetic and are unable to produce enough insulin in their body. Furthermore, the Loyola University research team reported that women who drank two or more sodas in a day were 1.86 times more likely to get albuminuria. Albuminuria, which develops when an excess of protein leaks out of the body and into the urine, is a key indicator that the kidneys are in a bad shape. This can be dangerous because the body needs protein to clog blood. If blood has no protein in it, then it can thin out and stop clogging. Anyone with a severe wound could bleed to death if the wound refuses to close. Additionally, physicians use symptoms of albuminuria as a marker to diagnose patients with kidney failure.

Anne Hart, a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, wrote in the Associated Content that another study done by the Loyola claims that in both genders, there was a daily twenty-seven percent increase in the risk of becoming obese and that sixty-two percent of adults drinking one can of soda a day were already overweight or obese (2009). For this reason, overweight adults become easier targets for kidney failure or kidney-related diseases. Lifestyle Lounge, a health tips magazine, also states that there are major side effects of drinking soda. They state that sugar and acid in soda actually dissolves the calcium inside teeth enamel. Additionally, the caffeine in soda acts as a stimulant, resulting in the stimulant becoming very addictive (2009).

Another study published in the "Kidney International Journal" studied the effect of soda consumption on 125,745 patients. There was a three and nine year follow-up, on the basis whether drinking one or more cup of soda a day would in fact cause kidney disease to manifest. The results claim that "high consumption of sugar-sweetened soda was associated with prevalent but not incident kidney disease", meaning soda consumption was not related to the sudden development of kidney disease but if a person already had kidney disease, drinking soda caused the damage to worsen (Bomback, 2009). These results do not mean that soda is safe for people who are not in danger of developing kidney disease—because it still is. By consuming soda daily, a person may soon find an increase in their body weight. Excess weight causes high blood pressure, which can lead to diabetes and which may ultimately lead to the development of various