Check out the nutrition facts on a can of soda, you’ll see a lot of zeros, except for sugar, i.e. calories. Regular soft drinks are loaded with sugar.
Whether its sweetened by actual sugar or high fructose corn syrup, there’s no health reason to have a Coke and a smile, aside from a sugar rush.
And that’s why bans to tax sweetened drinks, in order to help curb obesity, have been proposed in states like New York and California.
It’s not unfounded. Consuming excess calories can lead to obesity, and obesity is linked to things like heart disease and diabetes.
Some health experts claim by 2018, medical-related expenses due to obesity could hit $344 billion; 21% of U.S. healthcare spending.
And now, writing in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, researchers say fructose sweetened beverages may significantly raise a person’s risk of developing high blood pressure.
For the study, scientists used surveys to collect history on 4,528 U.S. adults; all over 18 years of age and with no history of high blood pressure. Data showed people who consumed about 2.5 sugary drinks a day increased their risk of high blood pressure (135/85 or higher) by 28% and had a 77% higher risk of extreme high blood pressure (160/100 or higher).
A reading of 120/80 is normal, anything above that is considered high.
Image credit: American Feast
Soft drinks don’t us any favors. It’s sugar water – i.e. just sugar! And we know consuming a lot of the sweet stuff is a bad idea.
Diet soda is one part water, one part artificial sweetener, and one part voodoo – how else can something be ZERO calories!
Soft drinks and soda—i.e. the most worthless of all foods—could increase your risk of 
