Joy Onuorah

There’s nothing like a cold drink on a hot day. But many of them come with as much as nine or 10 teaspoons of sugar in a bottle or can.

When consumed in excess, added sugar can adversely affect your health.

However, some sources of sugar are worse than others and sugary drinks are by far the worst.

This primarily applies to sugary soda but also to fruit juices, highly sweetened coffees, and other sources of liquid sugar.

Here are 13 reasons that sugary soda is bad for your health:

Weight gain

You tend to consume more total calories if you drink soda, as liquid sugar doesn’t make you feel full. Sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with weight gain.

Liver fat

Sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup are about 50% fructose, which can only be metabolized by your liver. Excessive amounts may contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Belly fat accumulation

High consumption of fructose makes you accumulate belly fat, a dangerous type of fat linked to metabolic disease.

Insulin resistance

Excess fructose intake may lead to insulin resistance, the main abnormality in metabolic syndrome.

Type 2 diabetes

A large body of evidence links added sugar consumption particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages to type 2 diabetes.

No nutrient

Sugary sodas contain little to no essential nutrients, only providing sugar and calories.

Heart/cancer disease risk

Multiple studies have determined a strong link between sugary beverages and heart disease risk.

Observational studies suggest that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to an increased risk of cancer.

Disaster for health

The acids in soda create an acidic environment in your mouth, while the sugar feeds the harmful bacteria that reside there. This can have severe adverse effects on dental health.

Addiction

Sugary drinks have powerful effects on your brain’s reward system, which may lead to addiction.