Stop The Pop!

Americans consume huge amounts of soft drinks each year.

Enough soft drinks are produced annually to provide 725 12-ounce servings (equivalent to more than 30 cases) to every man, woman, and child. Soft drinks, juices and sports drinks provide huge amounts of sugars to many diets. Each day, soda consumption alone provides the average teenage boy about 15 teaspoons of refined sugars, the average girl about 10 teaspoons. These amounts roughly equal the recommended daily limits for teens' sugar consumption from ALL foods.

Why Should You Care

No matter what it's called-a soft drink, soda, or pop-drinking too much can cause tooth decay and harm your health.

Sugars and acid in soft drinks, juices, sports drinks and energy drinks can set up the perfect environment for tooth decay. Drinking too much of these beverages can contribute to other health problems, such as, osteoporosis, kidney stones, and especially overweight and obesity, which are prime risk factors for type 2 diabetes in teens and adults.

Soft drinks are a problem not only for what they contain, but for what the push out of the diet, including vitamins, minerals and fiber. Fewer than 50% of adolescent girls consume enough calcium daily, which can lead to early development of osteoporosis. Girls who drink carbonated beverages are 5 times more likely to have bone fractures than those who don't drink soda.

Spoon out  10 level teaspoons of sugar ( in soda, it's called high fructose corn syrup) to see about how much is in a 12-ounce can of regular soda. Now spoon out 17 teaspoons for a 20-ounce bottle.  Can you imagine eating that much sugar at one time! If you think diet soda is much better, think again. It may not have sugar but it still contains acid that can harm tooth enamel, which can lead to tooth decay.

How Tooth Decay Starts

• Soda and other soft drinks have refined sugar, such as high fructose corn syrup. Bacteria in the mouth process the sugar and produce acid.
• This acid, plus extra already present in the drink, demineralizes (softens) your tooth enamel, the outer coating of teeth that guards against tooth decay.
• Tooth decay ( cavities) begin when enamel is weakened.
• Each acid attack lasts about 20 minutes, each sip you take resets the clock.
• Remember! Diet or "sugar free" drinks may not have sugar , but they contain harmful acid.

How To Reduce Decay

• Choose WATER; it's best for your hydration and health.
• Don't sip soda all day, drink a serving all at once. Consistent "sipping" exposes teeth to a prolonged acid attack.
• If you do drink soda, sports drinks, juices, or energy drinks, do so in moderation; not more than a 12-ounce serving (1 can) per day. And, it's best to drink it with a meal.
• After having a soft drink, wait a half hour, then brush your teeth. If you can't brush, rinse your mouth with water to dilute the sugars and acid, or chew gum which contains xylitol, a sugar substitute shown to discourage tooth decay.
• Brush at least twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and floss daily to remove plaque buildup between teeth and along gums.
• Check the label for the pH. A normal mouth has a pH of 6.3 to 7, which is close to neutral. Tooth enamel begins to deminerilize (dissolve) at pH levels below 5.5. Sodas have an average pH of 2.5!

DID YOU KNOW?

• money down the drain...In 2004, Americans spent $68 billion on carbonated drinks, and billions more on non-carbonated drinks...$850 per household... enough to buy a computer and a year's worth of Internet access.
• starting young...One fifth of 1 and 2 year old children consume soft drinks. Those toddlers drink an average of seven ounces, about 1 cup, each day. Almost half of all children between ages 6 and 11 drink soda, with the average child drinking 15 ounces a day.
• what's being learned at school...The alliance for a Healthier Generation has has worked with leading beverage companies to create guidelines which allow only lower calorie nutritious beverages to be sold at schools. Be a part of this important movement and a voice for our youth. Ask your school to offer healthier options like reduced-fat milk and water. And, make sure at home you practice what you preach.
• empty calories, excess weight...In 2004, the average American drank 37 gallons, 60,000 calories, of non-diet soft drinks; adding in another 16 gallons of fruit and sport drinks brings the total to about 85,000 calories. All those calories can contribute to excessive weight gain and related health problems.
• sizes are growing...In the 1950's, a bottle of soda was 6.5 ounces. Today, a 12-ounce can is standard and a 20-ounce bottle is common. Larger container sizes mean more calories, more sugar and more acid from a single container of soda.
• caffeine in a can...The amounts of caffeine in one or two cans of caffeinated soft drinks can affect performance and mood, increase anxiety in children and reduce the ability to sleep.
• better keep exercising...To burn off the calories in a 20-ounce bottle of non-diet soda, a 135-pound person would have to walk three moles in 45 minutes, play vigorous basketball for 40 minutes or bike vigorously for 22 minutes.