Pepsi, Coca Cola, thumbs up and sprite are some of the soft drinks that are very popular in India as well as around the world. They are cherished more by the Indian consumers during summers when the heat and the sun take away all their energy. One sip of Pepsi, coke, thumbs up, or sprite can energize your body in a few minutes. But is it all good for health? What are the health effects of consuming these soft drinks in the long run? Let’s check out their ingredients first and then see their health effects!
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated drink that is consumed widely by people across ages in India. It is also used as a mixer with alcoholic beverages sometimes or mostly consumed by itself.
Ingredients
The main ingredients of Pepsi are high fructose corn syrup, carbonated water, sugar, caramel color, caffeine, phosphoric acid, natural flavor, and citric acid.
Coca Cola
Coca Cola is another favorite beverage in Indian households. Apart from the regular black colors drink, it also comes in many other flavors like Vanilla, cherry, and others. However, the regular one is still the most popular amongst all.
Ingredients
Some of the ingredients of Coca Cola include carbonated water, caramel color, sugar, caffeine, natural flavors, and phosphoric acid.
Thumbs Up
Thumbs Up was an independent company before Coca Cola acquired it in 1993. It has been popular in the Indian markets since its inception.
Ingredients
The main ingredients of Thumbs Up include carbonated water, sugar, Caramel (IN 150D), caffeine and some other natural flavors.
Sprite
Sprite is also a product of the Coca Cola company. It is a favorite beverage, especially in summers. It is liked by adults as well as children alike.
Ingredients
The main ingredients of Sprite are high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, carbonated water, natural flavors, sodium citrate, and sodium benzoate. It also contains ingredients that come from crops that are Genetically Engineers (GE).
Health Effects
Many research and studies show long term effects of consuming these soft drinks. One of the most significant causes of concern is the fact that they contain a lot of sugar, which can be a significant problem for people who have diabetes or might get it. Also, some studies show that consumption of so much sugar leads to a craving for more sugar. Hence, people end up consuming more sugar than required, and this might lead to other problems like obesity. When kids or teenagers consume it, they might get a childhood obesity problem. The presence of high fructose corn syrup in these soft drinks is also a reason for some adverse health conditions as well as obesity. It can have worse effects on the body than regular processed sugar. These soft drinks can also cause metabolic syndrome. Moreover, the overall calories in these drinks are also very high, and the high amounts of sugar in these drinks make it very addictive too. In addition to that, the amount of caffeine present in these drinks are way higher than any other beverage and can be way above the daily prescribed dose for the human body.
Conclusion
To sum up, it can be said that despite the popularity of these soft drinks, there are a lot of health effects of these drinks that people don’t know about. Therefore, it is a good idea to check out the labels for the list of ingredients and their effects on individual health. These beverages can be useful to taste and may also make you feel energized when you drink them, but they might have some harmful long term effects. Therefore, it is a good idea to be careful!