Soft Drinks, So Widespread, Despite its Detrimental Impacts

Soft drinks are usually considered as a non-alcoholic beverage which captured some 40% market size in beverages industries. They are usually known as soda drink which is basically carbonated water with added salts, flavors, and colors.

In India, over the past two years, the soft drink industry has seen a value growth of 11% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and a volume growth of 5% CAGR. In total, 1.25 billion people in the country drink 5.9 billion liters of soft drinks in a year. This makes India’s per capita soft drinks consumption large, but luckily, just 1/20th of that of the U.S [@].

Nevertheless, the main concern is what are the reasons, who compelled a common man use it without any narcotic nor any healthy reason. there must be some very subsentential reason to answer the question as to why soft drinks are easily available at every market, even a market of a small village. But since is not the jurisdiction of the present post, so I would like to conclude by saying that its publicity and advertisements. It has been established in mind without our permission, that having a soft drink is something manifestation of a heroic act. Some interesting and details account about consumer psychology is available at the website [@] [@].

Ingredients of Soft Drinks

As far as ingredients are concerned, reports are not agreed with the contents mentioned over the bottles and this is the most crucial aspect of health issues regarding the soft drinks [@]. Briefly, it could be enlisted under groups of salts, sugars, coloring agents, preservatives, flavoring agents, phosphoric acid, etc. 

211  [Sodium benzoate (preservative)];
150d [Caramel IV-ammonia sulphite Process (colour)];
330 [Citric acid (acidity regulator, synergist for Sequestrant)];
331 [Sodium citrates (acidity regulator, sequestrant emulsifier stabilizer)];
338 [Orthophosphoric acid (acidity regulator, antioxidant Synergist)];
950 [Acesulfame potassium (Sweetener, flavor enhancer)];
951 [Aspartame (Sweetener, flavor enhancer)] [@]

According to the report of Mic, 2014, soda contains plenty of potentially harmful or unhealthy substances. Coca-Cola Light without caffeine, for example, contains sodium cyclamate (a banned sweetener, due to a possible link to bladder cancer) in parts of Europe and South America. In the U.S., it contains acesulfame potassium, which might have caused neurological conditions in mice. Some of the top offenders are High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), 4-MEI (4-methylimidazole (4-MEI, a caramel coloring), Caffeine, Bisphenol-A (BPA), Sodium Cyclamate.

Ingredients of Soft drinks

Health Issues:

On all such matter, my opinion is crystal clear that consuming anything which is not natural shall be reflected in one or other ways to effect on the body. Accordingly, considering soft drink is no way natural and therefore, its impact will occur sooner or later. Energy drinks are emerging as a public health threat and are increasingly consumed by youth internationally. Energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine, sugar, and novel ingredients, and are often marketed through youth-oriented media and venues [@]. The over-consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks is associated with obesity [@], [@], [@], [@], Hypertension [@], type 2 diabetes [@], dental caries, and low nutrient levels [@]. Consumption of caffeine is linked to anxiety and sleep disruption when consumed in excess [@]. Researchers also reported that chronic consumption of soda pop drinks may affect the microanatomy of the kidney of adult Wistar rats [@]. 

4-MEI is shown in the report of the International Agency for Research on Cancer determined it might be "possibly carcinogenic to humans" in 2011. Likewise, for BPA, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2012) also connected it to the weight crisis, finding a significant link between obesity and urinary BPA levels in nearly 3,000 children and teens. Sodium Cyclamate, one won't be found in any U.S.-sold colas, since the FDA determined in 1969 that it could cause bladder cancer in rats. It has also been reported that the bacteria in the gut could convert cyclamate into toxic cyclohexylamine. But it's still found in Coke Zero sold in Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Venezuela, Chile, and some Central American countries [@]. 

See the charm of such drinks. It is now spread in the countryside too. 

Besides, the health issues mentioned above, a large number of health problems have been reported by various workers, associated with the additives used in their manufacturing. Please, note that all ingredients are approved by various food quality control organizations. Nevertheless, at the same time, the findings of the workers can't be overlooked. Thus it's up to you what you choose because the credentials of these organizations are not beyond question.

• Sodium Benzoate-It has the ability to convert to benzene, a known carcinogen, which can form in soda and other drinks that contain both sodium benzoate and vitamin C [@], which may further be increased by the other factors like, heat and light, as well as longer storage periods [@]. Beezhold et. al.,(2012) reported that a high intake of sodium benzoate–rich beverages may contribute to ADHD-related symptoms (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) in college students [@]. Lennerz et. al., (2015) reported the significant increased in anthranilic acid (a tryptophan metabolite) and decreased in acetyl glycine [@].
• Acesulfame Potassium-the consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners has led to weight gain because people over-ingest calories, thus increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes [@]. Nonetheless, Critics say acesulfame potassium has not been studied adequately and may be carcinogenic [@].
• Aspartame-Besides approval from various food and drug organizations, some data finding an association with weight gain and heart disease risks [@], [@].
• Phosphoric acid is said to be acidity regulator, antioxidant synergist. However, the metabolism of phosphorus is shown to be an antagonist to the Calcium. Thus consumption of excess phosphorus cause loss of calcium from the body. 

After the keen appraisal of facts in the light scientific findings, it is revealed that consumptions of excess cold drinks are not good for health, especially growing persons and those who are suffering from low calcium problem. Here, it is important that due to low sunlight exposure, usually, people are not able to synthesize adequate vitamin D, which has a vital role in Calcium ion absorption from the intestine. to note that  Moreover, it is always safest to depends on natural products, as anything of synthetic nature will rarely be synchronized with the body.