We all know soda is bad for us; it's nothing but sugar water, it leads to obesity and diabetes and it's devoid of any nutritional value.
But there are some disturbing side effects of the carbonated favorite.
Weird fat in weird places: New research shows people who drink soda regularly had more liver fat and skeletal fat than people who drank water or milk.
Diet soda belly: In a university of Texas study, those who drank more than two diet sodas a day saw a 500% waist expansion.
Accelerated aging: High levels of phosphoric acid found in soda caused lab rats to die a full five weeks earlier than rats whose diets included only normal levels.
Cancer: Studies show dark sodas have chemicals that can cause the life-threatening problem.
Out-of-whack hormones: Soda cans are lined with BPA, which has been linked to everything from infertility to obesity to reproductive cancer.
Mountain Dew mind: Many citrus-based soft drinks have a chemical known to cause memory loss and nerve disorders.
Next we take a look at other, non-health related issues connected to soda.
Water pollution: The artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas don't break down, so waste-water treatment plants can't catch them before they get into our water supply.
Dead birds: We've all seen the horrible pictures; birds, turtles and other wildlife mistake the plastic debris for food, and either eat it or get stuck in it and die.
Lastly, experts say drinking lots of soda is like taking part in the biggest science experiment on the planet. With so many ingredients coming from genetically modified crops, you can never be sure exactly what you're consuming.
