# Short/Long-term effects of drinking ONLY soda?



## VaMountainMomma (Jun 6, 2005)

Just curious as DH only drinks regular Dr. Pepper. No water, milk, juice or anything else. He averages 4-5 cans a day.

Call me a worrywart, but that can't be healthy!







:

I'm hoping to convince to atleast drink a glass of water once a day or something. Anything. Any advice to help my case?


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## Severine (Nov 5, 2005)

For the longest time, DH only drank Snapple Iced Tea every day - I kid you not. This probably lasted a couple of years or so. Finally, when he saw that he was tipping the scales, he decided it was time to cut out the Snapple and now he mostly drinks water, with the occasional orange juice or chocolate milk.

No, it's not healthy. Some people do have a tolerance though and can handle it. Or don't realize how much it's making them feel badly until they cut it out on their own. You won't be able to convince your DH to cut it out - he has to come to that on his own. Mine wouldn't hear it from anyone else until he was ready. But maybe you could "forget" to buy it once in a while and then he'd only have water as an option.







Or do some research and pass the info on to him about how detrimental high fructose corn syrup is, for example (just one of the not so great ingredients in Dr. Pepper).

Don't get me wrong. I love Dr. Pepper. Would drink it all day even though I know it's bad. But I don't keep it in the house so it's not a temptation.

Good luck!


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## wife&mommy (May 26, 2005)

When I was in high school and most of college I NEVER drank water, ever. Only soda, usually mountain dew or dr. pepper. I didn't have any ill effects at the time but I'm sure it wasn't good for me and it did put pounds on me! I remember drinking soda as a very little girl, I really wish my parents would have been more strict with that before I knew what was best to choose.


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## VaMountainMomma (Jun 6, 2005)

Thanks! DH has some kind of super-metabolism and never gains a pound despite the constant soda drinking and junk food eating. And his mom buys it for him so I can't "forget" it.

I just worry his kidneys will keel over in a few years b/c of the lack of water. Glad to hear he's not the only soda junkie.


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## Mommay (Jul 29, 2004)

I remember reading on these boards that soda has phosphorous that is bad for you, so that even despite the calorie issue, it is not good for health. I wonder if you can do a search for it.


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## dflanag2 (Oct 4, 2005)

Is the soda having a bad effect on his teeth? Maybe that would deter him... One of my friends really cut down on her soda drinking when she figured out that sipping soda throughout the day was destroying the enamel on her teeth and giving her cavities despite brusing 3x per day...

Just a thought,
-dflanag2


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## wife&mommy (May 26, 2005)

Ahhh yes I forgot, I did start to get cavities in college after never having any before that.


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## mz_libbie22 (Nov 8, 2004)

some of the effects i've either experienced myself or seen others experience are: teeth problems (that's an obvious one), headaches (from dehydration), stomach pains/ulcers, fatigue, low immunity, weight gain


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## jlpumkin (Oct 25, 2005)

I'm no expert.. but my grandmother of all people only drank pepsi forever. Her kidneys are totally shot. Just last week Dr removed her from some meds that she apparently needs due to declining health, but her kidneys can't handle the added stress. Of course we can't say for sure that the soda caused it, but Dr definitely believes it's a strong contributing factor. Some of the info he was giving us was pretty scary. I stopped buying soda about 3 months ago. Didn't lose any weight though







:


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## sedalbj (Mar 17, 2004)

I read the title of your post and my eyes bugged out. I know people do that all the time, but they are nuts! Weight gain and rotten teeth are a side effect. More importantly the bubbles in the soda break down your bones and will make you prone to early osteoporosis.

DH drank only coke (he grew up in another country, and the american diet is very attractive to people who didn't grow up w/ cheap access to all the unhealthy food) for a long time, and after he decided he didn't want any more of his teeth rotting, and wanted to loose the 2 inches on his waist that he had gained because of it (and because i bugged the SH*T out of him about it and never bought it for him) he decided to stop cold turkey. His teeth are healthier and his waist is 2 in smaller. The caffene and sugar addiction can be hard to break, but is worth it.


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## rachelagain (Jun 15, 2006)

Another thing-- because of the high sugar intake it can cause you to get yeast infections after being intimate. High sugar content in the sperm can really bother female partners.


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## guestmama9916 (Jun 24, 2006)

Diet soda is even worse for you. I heard on a talk show this morning that people who drink diet soda gained more weight than those who drank regular soda. The reason is that aspartame lowers blood sugar which then causes hunger and food cravings. The study that found this showed that 54% of the diet soda drinkers gained weight at the end of the trial compared to only 20 or 30% of the regular soda drinkers.

Kim


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## newcastlemama (Jun 7, 2005)

My dentist said that soda is worse for your teeth than anything else because it is like putting a sugar rinse over and between your teeth. If you drink a few cans then you are doing that for a couple hours a day.

I have heard that it leeches minerals from your bones!

I have also heard that sugar supresses the immune system for 6 hours.

Weight gain. I gained 10 pounds in one semester from drinking about 5 sodas a week (to stay awake because I hate coffee). I quit and it was gone in 6weeks!

My dh was also addcited to Dr. Pepper and had about 1 a day(that stuff must be laced!)I just stoppped buying it a while after we got married. Now sodas are a special treat at parties and such. He also has a high-metabolism so weight gain is notthe problem. I kept telling him about the ill effects and that seemed to work along with not havng it available. Maybe you could get the book "Sugar Blues" for him.....

Jen


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## amyleigh33 (Nov 2, 2006)

Hmm not a scientific study but I have an uncle whose only unhealthy habit (didn't drink alcohol, didn't smoke, etc.) was that he would go through a 12-pack of Coke every other day. It's all he drank. I used to love going over there as a kid cause he always had Coke, which we never did. Anyhow when he was in his early 50s he had a severe heart attack and ended up needing open heart surgery. If that's not bad enough, the anesthesiologist did not "put him under" properly, so while he was completely unable to move, he was awake through the entire thing.

Anyhow I know how you feel it can be annoying to feel like you know he's doing something unhealthy, but you can't tell him what to do. My DP doesn't drink quite THAT much soda, but he does drink a can or more a day, plus he smokes, (and eats other crap like potato chips), and not only do I worry about his health but I worry that he is going to set a bad example for our baby/kid. He knows these things bother me, but I swear "junk food" is probably just as addictive as cigarettes, neither of which he has made any mention of giving up even though he knows I want him to.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

The phosphuric acid that some soda has depletes the body of calcium.


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## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

I only just recently started drinking water in addition to my beloved Coke. But I literally went for YEARS -- all through junior high and high school, and then until I was probably 22 -- without drinking ANY water, or anything at all besides Coke and the occasional sugar-ridden apple juice. I have no health problems other than precancer of my cervix, but I don't think that was caused by Coke! I'm not overweight either, never was. I'm sure it gave me vitamin deficiency problems or something at the time, but I feel fine and always have. Oh, and I have no real dental problems, either. My teeth are white and healthy. I guess I'm lucky! (So far. Who knows what will happen to me when I'm older as a result?)


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## 4lilfarmers (Feb 9, 2006)

doesn't NT say that diet soda can lead to type 2 diabetes...i'll run and check on that. but my very healthy dh (exercizes everyday, is lean, eats well, etc) drank 5-6 diet sodas everyday and shocked his docs by getting type 2 diabete at age 50 when he is otherwise so healthy... i'll be back with info from NT









edit: sorry just noticed it was regular dr. pepper...but i'll still look at NT


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## rayo de sol (Sep 28, 2006)

Drinking sugary soda all day long causes diabetes, not to mention bone loss and teeth problems. The human body did not evolve in an environment of constant access to simple sugars all day long every day, so as a result, the body doesn't do well on such a diet. Perhaps some people might not notice ill effects right away (I did: major tooth problems







), but eventual health problems are inevitable from drinking soda daily for years on end. I would try to convince him to stop. This book might help: Lick the Sugar Habit.


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## GooeyRN (Apr 24, 2006)

It can't be healthy. My dad drinks ONLY Pepsi and coffee. Nothing else, EVER. Not even the caffeine free types. He isn't in the greatest health, fwiw. But he also smokes 3 packs of Marlboro's a day.


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## inkedmamajama (Jan 3, 2003)

why not give him a healthy alternative? get a bottled water service and a water cooler-i did that recently and everyone in my house drinks water ALL the time now! its really healthy, not too expensive(i bought a used cooler from my delivery company for 50$, the bottles are 6$ for a 5 gallon bottle that lasts almost a week) and its a much healthier option than soda.

your dh has a physical addiction to soda(Sugar and caffeine) it will take some work to get off of it-but his teeth and entire body and mind will feel better after he detoxes from it all!

good luck!

(personally if that was going on with me and y partner i would tell them that i can no longer enable their unhealthy addiction and not allow the soda in the house anymore, plus it gives a horrible example for the kids!)


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## cjr (Dec 2, 2003)

My brother at the age of 24 developed stomache ulcers from drinking 5-12 pepsi's a day. He can't drink soda, especially cola, without getting major stomache pains. He also has to watch what else he eats because other foods will trigger the ulcers.


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## xmysticprincessx (Nov 19, 2004)

maybe something from a doctor would help him stop (or at least cut back). dr. mercola has TONS of stuff on the dangers of soda (including studies that prove things pp's mentioned):
http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/10/soda_pop_dangers.htm

you could always guilt trip him into telling him that he's not setting a good example for the kids...


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## pixiepunk (Mar 11, 2003)

i cringed when i read your post. all i could think was, he's not going to have a tooth in his head in 10 more years! but i think you've gotten enough information about the side-effects of drinking soda, so i'm going to offer some advice on how to get him to stop....

after he's heard you







for a while about all the negative health effects, ask him if he wants to set that example for his children? does he want that junk in his kids? does he want his kids addicted to junk, to compromise their dental and physical health? just like kids of smokers are more likely to smoke, the same is true for other unhealthy habits like drinking soda. kids are little sponges, and they do and say all the good and bad things you do and say. if you model healthy behavior, they'll do it too.

you never hear of a mom who makes everything from scratch and provides healthy meals and snacks for her kids complaining that "my kids only want to eat oreos and doritos."


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## wife&mommy (May 26, 2005)

ugh i had some today after not having it for a while, now i feel really yucky about it!


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