The Harmful Effects of Soft Drinks
There is a growing concern in the medical and scientific communities about the harmful effects associated with carbonated soft drinks. Soft drinks have been around for over a hundred years, but many of their deleterious heath effects have not been studied or known. This paper will discuss the numerous harmful effects and the problems that are associated with soft drinks
The National Soft Drink Association says that the average American consumes over six hundred twelve-ounce servings per year. Children consume many more carbonated beverages than adults. The average young male between the ages of twelve and twenty-nine consumes over 160 gallons of soft drinks a year. Studies show that males of this age group are the largest consumers of soft drinks. Many of these males receive over ten percent of their total daily calories from soft drinks. One of the reasons for the emergence of so many soft drink related problems is the sheer number of carbonated beverages that are consumed.
Fifty years ago the average serving size for a soft drink was a six-ounce bottle. Today, soft drinks are sold in twenty ounce bottles and are consumed in much larger amounts courtesy of the large size of soda fountain drinks available at most stores and restaurants. This increase in consumption of soft drink is not a surprise because soft drink manufacturers have spent billions of dollars in advertising to attract more consumers and to increase consumption of their products. Scientifi