Soda is basically just sugar. Whether they’re using cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup doesn’t really matter. It all does serious damage to our bodies.
The Blood Sugar Roller Coaster
Consuming sugar creates a spike in our blood sugar. Our bodies have to respond by producing enough insulin to deal with the sugar, and then our blood sugar levels crash, leaving us feeling tired, cranky, and craving more sugar. It’s a vicious cycle that, over time, leads to insulin resistance. The more insulin our bodies have to produce over an extended period of time, the more our cells become desensitized to insulin. Our bodies have to compensate by producing even more insulin and the result is a metabolic disorder that is known to precede all sorts of illnesses, from cancer to Alzheimer’s.
The Dangers of Chronically High Insulin
Insulin also promotes the storage of nutrients as fat and prevents the breakdown of fat cells for energy. The more sugar we eat (or drink), the fatter we get. Since drinking soda facilitates sugar addiction and promotes the cycle of blood sugar spikes and crashes, it ensures an almost constant supply of insulin to shuttle nutrients into fat cells.
Mark Sisson agrees that sugar poses a serious threat.