Soft Drinks Research Paper

#Harmful effects of soft drinks

_Bubbly and sugary, soft drinks are appealing to the eyes, refreshing to drink, and easy on our pockets but they do come at a cost - from obesity to poor bone health to cancer, the sugar, caffeine, and added colors in the soft drinks can take a toll on your health._

#Why soft drinks are not soft on your health?

#Stay away from soft drinks for the sake of your health

Be it a mix for your favorite booze or a quick fix for your kid's birthday party, soft drinks come in handy. But remember, apart from lacking in nutrition, the sugary drinks are full of unhealthy ingredients and, more importantly, they may not even be hydrating you. Thanks to the better awareness of their ill-effects, soda consumption may have

The trademark caramel color of the popular colas may be aesthetically pleasing but its effects are purely evil; 4-methylimidazole is a carcinogen found in the brown food coloring.[ref]Smith, Tyler JS, Julia A. Wolfson, Ding Jiao, Michael J. Crupain, Urvashi Rangan, Amir Sapkota, Sara N. Bleich, and Keeve E. Nachman. "Caramel Color in Soft Drinks and Exposure to 4-Methylimidazole: A Quantitative Risk Assessment." PloS one 10, no. 2 (2015): e0118138.[/ref]In a laboratory setting, 4-methylimidazole caused lung, liver, and thyroid cancer in mice.[ref][FDA Urged to Prohibit Carcinogenic "Caramel Coloring"](https://cspinet.org/new/201102161.html "FDA Urged to Prohibit Carcinogenic "Caramel Coloring"). The Center for Science in the Public Interest.[/ref]Brown colored drinks are not the only ones to worry about. Orange flavored drinks' vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is known to react with Sodium Benzoate, a common preservative found in the soft drinks to form benzene.[ref][Data on Benzene in Soft Drinks and Other Beverages](http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/ChemicalContaminants/ucm055815.htm "Data on Benzene in Soft Drinks and Other Beverages"). U.S. Food and Drug Administration.[/ref]Benzene is a carcinogen that is found to damage bone marrow cells and cause leukemia in rats.[ref][Benzene and Cancer Risk](http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/intheworkplace/benzene "Benzene and Cancer Risk"). American Cancer Society.[/ref] So, are the colorless drinks the safer bets? Not necessarily, even the plastic bottles and aluminum cans used for packaging the soft drinks are laden with chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA), the infamous carcinogen also known for disrupting the hormones and raising blood pressure.[ref]Kregiel, Dorota. "Health safety of soft drinks: contents, containers, and microorganisms." BioMed