There’s an inundation of pop in America. No, I’m not
talking about pop music’s *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Christina
Aguilera or any other popular artists flooding the sound waves.
I’m talking about pop ““ soda.
The consumption of soda has increased to staggering amounts over
recent years. It’s gotten to the point where we don’t
even flinch at gulping down 32 ounces of our favorite carbonated
drink. We don’t hesitate to pay the few cents extra to
super-size our fast-food orders and add 16-plus ounces to our drink
size.
The U.S. population is getting more and more obese, and it
isn’t difficult to see the correlation between an overweight
society and a skyrocketing increase in the consumption of
carbonated drinks and other high energy foods and beverages.
But don’t be confused by the use of the word
“energy.” While we need energy to function and stay
healthy, the energy derived from soda is more commonly known as
calories. These calories do not contain the vitamins and nutrients
that our body needs to work and stay healthy.
Eight ounces of soda contains 100 calories, meaning a typical
20-ounce bottle would contain 250 calories. Water, on the other
hand, contains zero calories.
An occasional soda would not be discouraged by any fair health
practitioner or parent, but as a country, we’ve exceeded this
moderate amount ““ and are beginning to see the results. The
increase in obesity and the health problems that follow are
affecting a younger and younger population.
Fast food and super-sizing are not the only culprits to the
increase in soda consumption. Convenience and proximity are
associated as well.
Just take a look around right now, wherever you may be reading
this column. You don’t need to walk far to be in sight of a
bright, inviting picture of an ice-cold, water-beading-off-of-it
can of soda on the side of a vending machine. Not too long ago you
had to stop at a 7-Eleven or fast food joint to pick up a soda.
Nowadays, an unwrinkled dollar bill and a quick jaunt to the soda
machine will get a 20-ounce recyclable bottle of soda. Yes, the
bottle is recyclable, but the downside is it contains eight extra
ounces (and 100 extra calories) of soda for us to consume.
Unfortunately, the bad news continues. It makes sense that as
soda consumption increases, the intake of other, healthier drinks,
such as milk and juices, decreases. Soda doesn’t bear nearly
the amount of nutrients and vitamins that are found in milk and
most juices. The snacks we consume throughout the day also usually
consist of a soda.
Studies show that the largest percentage intake of sweeteners is
from soda. For the younger generation, it is also the largest
provider of caffeine. Soda can wake us up in the morning, keep us
awake for afternoon classes and throughout the night as we study.
It is also a lot more versatile than that other caffeinated morning
drinks.
The downside, put simply, is this: With the amount of soda most
of us consume daily, we are risking our future health.
In a country whose population is nearly 20 percent obese, we
must recognize the major players in this increase in weight.
The solution: lessen the intake of soda, don’t super-size,
and order a smaller drink when possible. To make sure you’re
getting the nutrients you need, replace soda with milk, juice,
water and other healthier drinks. Small changes in how much soda we
drink can go a long way, and we can start establishing better
habits as we watch out for our present and future health.
Ceballos is a first-year medical student at the UCLA David
Geffen School of Medicine. “Your Health” is a weekly
column written by a rotating group of UCLA medical students. E-mail
questions and column topics to yourhealth@media.ucla.edu.