However, soft drinks are often the culprit for a large number of severe health conditions associated with their excessive consumption, as a result of high fructose corn syrup, added sugars and high amount of calories contained in them. Scientific studies suggest that the overconsumption of soft drinks can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, hypertension, tooth problems, bone weakening, bone demineralization, heart diseases, strokes and cancer, among others.

Although cutting back on soft drink consumption is not easy as consumers are addicted to drinking two or more cans of soda per day, reducing the consumption of soft drinks is a vital issue, related to improved health conditions, healthier lifestyle and an overall change of mentality. To achieve that, an organized effort on a domestic, local and national level is required.

“Barbarism begins at home”

If Americans consumers calculate the gallons of soft drinks they consume per year, it is certain that they will feel both disgusted and scared. Admittedly, the appealing pricing of container sizes in the super market and the 32oz soda in the fast food, along with the good taste of soft drinks are good reasons to prefer soda over water. However, spending nearly $850 per year on soft drinks and consuming on average 1.5 12-ounce cans per day is a scary 2004 statistic. Although consumption of soft drinks has been slightly reduced in 2007 and 2008, a shift of consumer preferences towards a healthier diet is absolutely required, primarily on a domestic level. Parents should guide their children towards drinking milk and fruit juices instead of soft drinks and they should make sure to full their stock with healthy beverages.

“Society is our broader home”

Schools should ban soft drinks advertisements from their facilities in order to protect children from the great impact of those ads on them. Scientific studies suggest that childhood obesity is directly related to soft drinks advertisements. In this context, schools and other pedagogic organizations should stop the promotion and sale of soft drinks and junk foods in their cafeterias and promote alternative, healthier food choices that would contribute to children’s better physical development enabling them to have an improved physical activity.

Similarly, organizations specialized in cancer prevention and anticipation, heart diseases, bone health and so on, should organize campaigns to inform consumers on reducing soft drink consumption.

“Nation can put things in order”

On a national level, the State should require restaurants to disclose the calorie intake of soft drinks on their menu. It is extremely important to mention nutrition information on the restaurant menus so that consumers are aware of the high amounts of sugar they consume every time they drink a 12oz soda can. Also, vending machines should declare the calorie content of each item they offer.

Besides, the State should require large beverage companies to declare on their labels that the overconsumption of soft drinks increases the likelihood of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay, while it may displace nutritious foods from a balanced diet, thus resulting to osteoporosis.

U.S Senate is also considering putting a federal tax on soft drink consumption arguing that such a measure would raise $1.5 billion per year and will lower soft drink consumption 1 percent. The revenues from taxes on soft drinks will be allocated towards the promotion of a healthier lifestyle and diet. At the same time, governmental and federal agencies would continue sponsoring medical and scientific research to the further exploration of the impact of soft drink consumption on human health.

A freelance writer, top MBA graduate with Finance major, passionate about business, finance, history and music; this is pretty much me in a nutshell.

I provide high quality writing services since 2005 in the field of Business & Finance, Movie Reviews, Book Reviews, Health & Fitness, Internet and Relationships. I also have a very good knowledge of Politics and History.

My advanced familiarity with financial modeling, financial statement analysis, capital budgeting and market research has helped me a lot, not only to be a successful professional, but mostly to see life under a more creative and innovative perspective. Besides, having lived for two years in Chicago, IL and Boca Raton, FL and for quite some time in Paris, France has provided me with an international aspect and has enlarged the way I see and understand life.

I currently work as a financial and investment advisor at an international financial institution. Yet, my dream is to be able to make a living as a writer.

You may find me at:
http://christinapomonibusiness.blogspot.com/ http://christinapomonifinance.blogspot.com/ http://reviewsrevisited.blogspot.com/ http://thehistoryculturevenue.blogspot.com/

It is scary, but it can certainly be explained.

Soft drink consumption in the United States was a widely recognized phenomenon since 1950s. There was no single man, woman or child at a movie theater without a large pop corn and a soda can. Large displays were all over the places showing the famous vintage Coke signs or the Space Age popcorn box of the 1950s; boys with leather jackets drinking coke; girls with colorful outfits and blood-red lips drinking soda.

In the 1960s, the soft drink industry introduced container sizes in the market. Gradually, the standard size 6-½-ounce serving grew into the 12-ounce can and over time it got replaced by a 20- ounce bottle. What later became known as “big” – and in our era as “super-sized” – was introduced in the era of drive-ins and fancy convertibles. The, 7-Eleven stores introduced the 64-ounce Double Gulp. Inevitably, Americans were consuming gallons of soft drinks in a single-serving container.

At the same time, large beverage companies and fast food chains were offering large servings at low prices to attract more customers and increase consumption. Americans could buy a small (16oz) soda for $1.05 and a large (32oz) soda for only $1.57. So, in effect, they could buy double serving for only half a dollar more.

The impact of advertising and the intense marketing efforts of soft drinks corporations and large beverage companies led to a huge increase of soft drink consumption in the late 1980s. Having spent billions of dollars on advertising and having targeted even children under age 12 as well as elementary school children soft drink companies have managed to double their sales in 1988. Soft drink consumption soared via ads on children’s toys, movies, cartoons, videos and large displays on playgrounds and amusement parks. Besides, they have also targeted adults through TV, radio, magazines and Internet sweepstakes and contests.

During the 1990s, soft drinks corporations, in cooperation with fast food organizations, intensified their marketing efforts, putting American children on the top of their target customer list. Running advertisements on Channel One, large beverage companies had a direct impact on nearly 8 million children of age between 7 and 15. District 11 in Colorado Springs was the first public school to host Burger King’ advertisements in its hallways and on the sides of its school buses, which led to a 10-year contract with Coca Cola and a profit of $11 million over the life of the deal. Following the brilliant example of District 11, all Colorado schools signed similar deals with Coca Cola, and in the name of profit, students were encouraged to have a soda even in the classrooms. The eradication of a junked nation did not stop there. Coca-Cola was reported to have compensated the Boys & Girls Clubs of America $60 million for the exclusive marketing of its brand in over 2,000 school facilities.

After the scary statistics of 2004, there has been an organized effort from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and several consumer organizations to shift consumer preferences toward healthier dietary habits that would not involve the consumption of soft drinks to such a great extent. Indeed, by the end of 2004, the consumption of soft drinks had declined 12 percent, while the sales of soft drinks corporations and large beverage companies had declined 6.6 percent to 52.4 gallons from 56.1 gallons in 1998.

In 2007, the sales volume of soft drinks declined 2.3 percent and in 2008 declined 3 percent, recording the lowest volume since 1997. It seems like the fear for severe health conditions associated to soft drinks overconsumption such as obesity, heart diseases, strokes, cancer, osteoporosis, hypertension, high blood pressure and others, has shifted consumer preferences towards a healthier lifestyle. Admittedly, Americans do not consume as many soft drinks as they used to in the 1990s. The question, though, remains: is it a permanent trend?

A freelance writer, top MBA graduate with Finance major, passionate about business, finance, history and music; this is pretty much me in a nutshell.

I provide high quality writing services since 2005 in the field of Business & Finance, Movie Reviews, Book Reviews, Health & Fitness, Internet and Relationships. I also have a very good knowledge of Politics and History.

My advanced familiarity with financial modeling, financial statement analysis, capital budgeting and market research has helped me a lot, not only to be a successful professional, but mostly to see life under a more creative and innovative perspective. Besides, having lived for two years in Chicago, IL and Boca Raton, FL and for quite some time in Paris, France has provided me with an international aspect and has enlarged the way I see and understand life.

I currently work as a financial and investment advisor at an international financial institution. Yet, my dream is to be able to make a living as a writer.

You may find me at:
http://christinapomonibusiness.blogspot.com/ http://christinapomonifinance.blogspot.com/ http://reviewsrevisited.blogspot.com/ http://thehistoryculturevenue.blogspot.com/

Phosphoric acid is a chemical additive contained in soft drinks as an artificial flavoring that keeps the carbonated bubbles from going flat. Large beverages companies use phosphoric acid to provide soft drinks with a fizzy bubbling appearance.

One of the major negative effects of phosphoric acid on our health is that it oozes calcium out of the bones, leading to osteoporosis. To be in healthy condition, our body needs to maintain a balance between calcium and phosphorus. When we consume soft drinks moderately, the calcium released from our teeth and bones to our blood balances the phosphoric acid in the soft drink. However, when we consume soft drinks excessively, the phosphoric acid oozes calcium out of our bones. Consequently, our bones are weakened and we face a high risk of developing osteoporosis.

Another major impact of phosphoric acid on our health is that it neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in our stomach. Hydrochloric acid contributes a great deal to a good digestion of food and an efficient calcium metabolism. When calcium is oozed out of our bones, it cannot be restored with hydrochloric acid as the latter is neutralized by phosphoric acid contained in soft drinks. As a result, we may develop an increased risk of kidney or urinary stones.

Phosphoric acid can also cause our teeth to dissolve or erode. Scientific experimentation has demonstrated teeth that have eroded after being immersed for several days in a soft drink. This happens for the following reason: when we consume soft drinks moderately, our teeth enamel is protected because phosphoric acid is neutralized. Besides, the calcium, phosphorus and fluoride contained in our saliva, all remineralize our teeth. However, the overconsumption of soft drinks has a detrimental effect on our teeth because the phosphoric acid dissolves them and, ultimately, erodes them.

The key to protect our health from the negative effects on phosphoric acid is to cut back on soft drink consumption. All research studies suggest that phosphoric acid in soft drinks contributes to dental erosion and calcium imbalance when excessive consumption occurs and not in the course of moderate soft drink consumption. Soft drinks have also a nutritional value that is released provided we consume a regular intake per day and not excessive amounts that cannot be processed by our system. In bottom line, if we consume a healthy, balanced diet with nutritional foods and we exercise regularly, soft drinks can do the least damage in our effort to lead a healthy life. And they can contribute to a refreshing daily routine.

Christina Pomoni has acquired her MBA Finance from the American College of Greece. Her advanced familiarity with financial statement analysis, capital budgeting and market research has been acquired through her professional career at high-esteemed organizations. As part of her long journey, Christina has served as an Equity Research Associate at Telesis Securities (EFG Eurobank) and a Financial & Investment Advisor at ING Group. Besides, having lived at Chicago, IL, Boca Raton, FL and Paris, France has helped her, not only to be a successful professional, but mostly to see life under a more creative and innovative perspective.

Since 2005, Christina provides high quality writing services to numerous websites and research companies contributing her knowledge and expertise. Her areas of specialization are Business, Finance & Investment, Society, Politics & Culture. She also has a very good knowledge of Entertainment, and Health & Fitness.

Christina currently designs the website of her own writing company. Believing that knowledge is the road to opportunity and development, her mission is to promote her already established knowledge to a growing number of visitors and to provide high quality writing services to meet the most demanding customer requirements.