Coke is more unhealthy for your body than you think

When thirsty and craving sweets, many people turn to refreshing drinks such as cola and other types of soda. Although it immediately quenches thirst and satisfies the sweet tooth, it is not a drink that should be consumed in large quantities. In fact, consuming the brown drink with the red label is much more unhealthy for the body than most people think. In addition to the fact that soda is full of sugar that settles on the side legs, it also triggers many processes inside the body. The latter is something that only a few people know about.

This is what happens to your body when you drink soda

We are often asked “is cola unhealthy?” The short answer is yes. From the moment you start drinking cola, it affects your body. And the effects don’t stop when you stop drinking. They continue for up to an hour after you’ve had your last sip.

Below we have created a timeline that describes what happens when you drink soda.

After 10 minutes: Your daily sugar intake is reached or exceeded

The recommendations for how much sugar we should consume daily are constantly being adjusted downwards, so that the number becomes lower. According to the latest recommendations, a maximum of 5 percent of our daily intake should be sugar. This corresponds to approximately 25 grams or six sugar cubes. For comparison, there are 25 sugar cubes in half a liter of Coca Cola.

As soon as you drink soda, the large amount of sugar is absorbed into your system. With the high sugar content of a soda, you will therefore exceed your recommended daily intake of sugar.

After 20 minutes: Blood sugar rises and sugar is converted into fat

After drinking a cola, it takes a maximum of 20 minutes for your blood sugar to start rising sharply, after which your insulin production also starts to increase. This is a complex process that ends with your liver responding to the insulin by converting large amounts of sugar into fat.

After 40 minutes: Your body absorbs the caffeine

After about 40 minutes, your body has absorbed all the caffeine in the cola. You notice that you feel more refreshed, but what you don't know is that things are happening in your body that are unhealthy for it. It responds by dilating your pupils, while your blood pressure rises, and your liver pumps sugar into your bloodstream.

After 45 minutes: The body's dopamine production increases

After about 45 minutes, the production of dopamine increases, which stimulates the pleasure center in your brain. At this point, you will feel satisfaction, well-being and happiness. When people become addicted to cola or other forms of sugar, it is because they become addicted to experiencing this feeling of pleasure.

After 1 hour: The sugar shock begins

After about an hour, the sugar crash begins. When this happens, you have an uncontrollable craving for more sugar. This is because your blood sugar has dropped so much that your body reacts as if it is on alert. It sends out signals that it needs food here and now – preferably with as much sugar as possible. This means you rip open the kitchen cabinets to find some unhealthy food.

The ingredients in cola are destroying your body

It's not just the way soda affects us that's unhealthy for us. So are the ingredients soda is made from. Understanding how soda is made is complex, and there are virtually no manufacturers willing to reveal their recipes. However, we do know that soda contains:

• Sugar
• Caffeine
• Phosphoric acid

Sugar makes you gain weight

If you want to maintain your weight, it is a bad idea to drink soda. Coke – and soda in general – contains a very high sugar content, as we have already mentioned. If you want to live a healthy life, you should cut down on sugar. Sugar is also the biggest culprit if you are trying to lose weight because it contains a lot of energy. If you consume a lot of sugar, you therefore increase the risk of gaining weight significantly.

In addition to containing a lot of energy, sugar also helps increase the body's insulin levels, which leads to higher blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels and potentially cardiovascular disease.

Caffeine can cause insomnia and restlessness

You probably know about the invigorating effect of caffeine – especially if you drink coffee. It cannot be proven that caffeine has harmful long-term effects, but a high intake of caffeine can be unhealthy for the body. The most common side effects are stomach problems, heart rhythm disturbances, insomnia, high blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels and depletion of minerals and vitamins in the body. Most people will also experience unhealthy sleep patterns, and that they experience hyperactivity and feel restless.

Phosphoric acid disrupts the body's calcium balance and destroys teeth

Soda contains phosphoric acid, which is a strong acid that the body needs calcium to regulate so that its acid-base balance returns to normal. If you don't consume enough calcium, the body is forced to release it from the bones to do this. This disrupts our body's ability to use calcium, which can cause bones to become softer and cause osteoporosis.

Phosphoric acid also affects our teeth and their enamel. Every time you take a sip, your teeth are bathed in acid, which destroys them. In addition to the acid destroying your teeth, the sugar in soda also provides nourishment for caries bacteria, which are the bacteria that cause cavities in your teeth.

Is it healthier to drink Cola Light and Cola Zero?

Now that we've explained why cola is unhealthy, you're probably considering switching to diet soda - if you haven't already. Before you do this, you should know that even diet products contain ingredients that are bad for your body.

Even though diet products such as Coke Diet and Coke Zero do not contain sugar, they are made from other things that are also not healthy for the body. Like “regular” Coke, they also contain acid that corrodes teeth. In addition, they contain the sweetener Aspartame, among other things.

Aspartame is one of the most controversial sweeteners today. Some researchers accuse it of increasing the risk of bone fractures and being carcinogenic, while others believe that it is not unhealthy for the body in small amounts.

Consider whether Coke is worth it

Whether you drink regular cola or resort to light versions, you should consider again whether it is necessary to expose your body to the effects that cola has.