Why Do Some Black Drinking lime water in empty stomach Have More Aggressive Breast Cancer Than White Women? Americans’ obsession with soda is waning, but not everyone is sipping with their health in mind.

Overall, 18,600 children ages 2 to 19 and 27,652 adults 20 years old and older were surveyed over the total time period. Drinking soda can be a detriment to human health. According to a study published in September 2019 in JAMA Internal Medicine, drinking soda is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, colorectal cancer, and all causes of death. It’s also linked to obesity, notes a review published in August 2017 in QJM, the journal of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland. Kelly Kennedy, RD, staff nutritionist for Everyday Health. All of that added sugar intake has damaging effects. A past study found that swapping out just one sugary drink a day for unsweetened coffee, tea, or water may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 25 percent.

Diet soda fiends aren’t off the hook either. A past study found that diet soda intake is directly related to abdominal obesity in adults over age 65. Earlier research suggested that the artificial sweeteners in diet soda may change how the brain’s reward system processes sweetness. As a result, people end up making up for the missed calories in other foods that they eat throughout the day. Oftentimes, when someone is regularly having a soda, they’re not making the best food choices either. So what are some better choices? There are plenty of other refreshing beverages, with nutritional value, that you can drink instead of soda.