Water is the most important nutrient that sustains all living being on earth. In contrast, sugar-sweeten beverages have virtually no essential nutrients and provide you with nothing except unnecessary calories. Sugary soda can also be addictive and could cause health hazards if not controlled. Thus, let’s check out some of the drawbacks of sugary drinks alongside the health benefits of replacing all drinks with water.
Pitfalls of Sugary Drinks
- Linked to Weight Gain: Many studies corroborates the fact that consuming excessive sugary soda can lead to weight gain. In children especially, sweetened beverages are linked to obesity. Also, high-sugar intake results in increased accumulation of belly fat, which increases the risk of Type-2 diabetes and heart diseases.
- Dental Health Issue: Sugary beverages are also one of the reasons for poor dental health among kids and adults. While the acidic content in sodas can damage and weaken your tooth enamel, excessive sugar can lead to dental plaque, resulting in cavities and tooth decay over time.
- Risk of Gout: This is one of the lesser-known pitfalls of sugary drinks. A gout is a complex form of arthritis that leads to severe pain and tenderness/inflammation of joints. It occurs due to high uric acid level in the blood that crystallizes and gets deposited in the joints. Here, fructose – found in high quantity in soft drinks – is known to increase uric acid levels. Thus, people who consume sugary beverages regularly are more prone to get gout.
- Increase Heart Disease Risk: Consuming sugary drinks can increase the risk of heart-related diseases causing high blood triglycerides, high blood sugar, dense LDL particles, etc. Excessive sugar can also affect your arteries, leading to stroke, heart attack or heart failure.
Health Benefits of Water
- Helps Detoxify the Body: Water can help detoxify your body by enabling it to flush out toxins. It can help regulate your body temperature, improve blood circulation and boost energy levels. Also, to make plain water tastier, you can infuse water with lemon, orange, or strawberry.
- Lubricate the Joints: Drinking adequate water can help lubricate your joints, making them flexible. Water helps to maintain healthy tissues and reduces friction between joints. This, in turn, can help reduce joint pain and inflammation.
- Aids in Digestion: As a key component for digestion, water helps break down the food you consume, enabling your body to better absorb nutrients. It also helps digest soluble fiber which helps with bowel movements and softens the stool, thereby preventing constipation. What’s more, water helps eliminate waste from the body, which reduces the risk of kidney stones.
- Improves Cardiovascular Health: Water helps make blood circulation throughout the body easy. Water is a critical component for heart health, and by staying hydrated, you can prevent life-threatening conditions such as stroke, heart attacks, etc. Water also ensures that oxygen reaches your muscles, which helps reduce muscle cramps. More importantly, an increase in the intake of water can help your body to burn more calories, which could further enhance your cardiovascular health.
- Prevents Dehydration: Drinking plentiful water daily can also help replenish the fluid your body loses through sweat, illness, fever, urination, defecation, etc. An imbalance in the body’s fluid levels can affect the body’s natural hydration level, which could affect your overall health. As such, drinking more water is essential to prevent dehydration.
To sum up
Switching to water from sugary beverages can do a ton of good to your overall health and fitness. Water is used by the body for various bodily functions. Whereas, sugary drinks only add-on to your existing health woes or create new ones. Thus, make the switch today and for more information, check out this infographic.
