We all know soda isn’t comparable to green tea in terms of health benefits, but would you go as far to say that they’re as terrible for your body as cigarettes? A recent study has shown that drinking soda has been proven to take years off of your life through harming the immune system, and accelerates the aging process. Why exactly is soda so bad for your body?

Soda consists of many harmful chemical and substances that are known to harm your body, and should be avoided as Reader’s Digest explains. Soda can deplete your calcium and magnesium due to its high levels of phosphoric acid. And in case if you weren’t aware, calcium and magnesium are known to give your immune system a boost. High-fructose corn syrup is known to damage tissue, aid in the development of diabetes, as well as diabetic complications. Most sodas contain a lot of high-fructose corn syrup. Bottled beverages (including water!) contain BPA, which is found in the plastic. The BPA from the plastic can get into your beverage, then into your body. BPA has been proved to harm the immune system as well. Wellness Mama has also made the claim to stay away from soda. Most sodas contain caffeine. Caffeine can be linked to cancer, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and other complications. We’ve all had that disgusting feeling on our teeth after drinking soda, this is because soda can cause plaque build up on your teeth. Plaque buildup can impact your gums and may even cause cavities! Wellness Mama also mentions that soda companies simply use tap water. Tap water alone can potentially contain chlorine, fluoride, and traces of metal. With all of that being said, soda contains a lot of chemicals and substances that can and will harm your body.

Although it is known that soda can harm your body, does it mean that soda could potentially take years off of your life? Time explains how soda can, and will, take year off of your life. Telomeres are the caps at the end of every chromosome, which is in every single cell. The study conducted looked at the telomeres from the white blood cells. Telomeres that are shorter are linked to stress, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and even a shorter life span. There was a study ((())) conducted to link soda with shorter telomeres. In the study 5,309 adults that drank soda regularly over fourteen years were found to have shorter telomeres. On average, each participant would drink twelve ounces on average, wrote Fox News. The study found that drinking nearly 8-ounces (one can) of soda daily can age you up to nearly 2 years. Some participants drank 20-ounces (a bottle!) daily, which was linked to 4.6 years of aging. Drinking 30-ounces of soda daily is the exact associate in telomere length as smoking.

Personally, I think that the study was conducted well. They had 5,309 participants in the study so I’m assuming that the population was well randomized. They also did the study over a span of fourteen years, which allows the harmful of effects of soda to impact the telomeres significantly. The study also eliminated chance and reverse causation as well. Although the study was conducted well, I would have like to have seen how this compares to people who do not consume soda regularly, and people who do not consume soda at all. A control group would have shown the comparison. The study failed to rule out the option of a confounding variable. Could it be that the participants drank the soda with a cheeseburger or other unhealthy foods? Could the shorter telomeres potentially be due to obesity?

I’ve concluded, for obvious reasons, that soda is bad for you! But, I wouldn’t go as far to say that it is as harmful as cigarettes. The average person probably does not drink 20 ounces daily, therefore soda wouldn’t impact their telomeres as much as cigarettes. Drinking soda in excess may have substantial health consequences though. Either way, maybe it’s time to put down the soda and pick up a water.