There are many people around the world, Nigeria included, who just cannot do without one cola drink or any other fizzy/carbonated drink at least once a day. I have met a few of these people who tell you that the feeling of the drink in the glass bottle is more original than the pet bottle or cans and try hard to always have the glass bottles but would settle for anyone if they do not find the glass bottles.
Every day, they open that bubbly bottle or can of delight and they do an ‘Ah’ when they have been craving it for so long.
You tell them, “Drinking this thing every day is not good for you.”
And their response would be, “I know, this is the last one for the week then I am cutting back.” Or they just tell you to simply get lost and not rain on their parade.
It is obviously an addiction of some sort but the most people worry about is that they are consuming so much sugar and what it could do to their weight.
Well, a study by the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging at the Tufts University shows that those who regularly drink these fizzy drinks and by regularly it means about 1 can/bottle a day have 46% higher risk of becoming prediabetic; early warning signs of type 2 diabetes. If they continue to consume the drinks this way, they might be on the road to diabetes.
Now, this is just one study, it corresponds with many others that have been done on sugar intake. While this research is not enough to establish causality, it would be wise to step down from taking fizzy drinks every day. If you are looking for a way to cut back, find a healthier alternative like water, green tea, and even coffee. Lemonade or fruit punch are not better alternatives as they fall in the same category as these fizzy drinks.
Diet fizzy drinks might be your first landing when you decide to make the shift and then you do more healthy drinks.
Note:
Ma et al. 2016. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage but Not Diet Soda Consumption Is Positively Associated with Progression of Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes. J. Nutrition 2016; 146:1-7. doi:10.3945/jn.116.234047
