What Does Soda Do to Your Stomach? 10 Interesting Facts

We’ve all heard that quote, ‘Don’t trust what you see because Salt also looks like Sugar.’ But do we actually think of it in depth? Soda is nothing but a lot of Sugar put together in a drink that makes your brain release excessive amounts of dopamine, which leads to a feeling of satisfaction and having it again.

Soda consumption stimulates pleasure for the present moment, but it causes long-term health issues like stomach pain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, diabetes, weight gain, cardiovascular disease, etc. This article will take you forward with the question, ‘What does soda do to your stomach?’

Sugary soft drinks have become our best friends. Imagine you’re on a trek, and you’re thirsty. Gone are those old days when you’d ask for water. You will end up buying Coca-Cola.

Do you ever wonder why this happens? It happens because Coca-Cola has sodium chloride, which makes a remarkable print on your brain about its taste.

This makes you crave and have an addiction to drinking soda. So, what does soda do to your stomach? Carbonated drinks lead to an increased risk of upset stomach, damage of tooth enamel and even heart disease.

1. What Is Meant by Empty Calories? Is Your Gut Feeling Good?

Diet sodas, fizzy drinks and all the other sugar-sweetened drinks have empty calories in them. When the value of sugar and fats is more than the value of nutrients in a product, it is said to have empty calories.

These drinks have artificial sweeteners¹ in them, which feels very satisfying. However, these carbonated beverages are only capable of providing instant energy. They do not contain any nutrients, proteins or vitamins. These will just contribute to a person’s weight gain and make him/her obese.

1.1. Fizzy Soda: 10 Facts You Didn’t Know

1. Fizzy soda/drinks originated in Pharmacies back in the 19th century.
2. Soda is a great cleaning agent. Try pouring it into your wash basin and see the shocking results.
3. Cola consumption can increase a person’s appetite.
4. Water was artificially carbonated first in the year 1767.
5. In the year 1886, Coke didn’t contain as much cocaine as it now contains.
6. Coca-Cola is a big reason behind McDonald’s success.
7. Soda got its name from the word ‘sodium’.
8. People who consume soda generally have belly fat.
9. Acid from soda can irritate the stomach lining.
10. An excessive amount of caffeine in soda leads to stomach acid.

Therefore, while soda consumption can be satisfying, it has several harmful effects on health that are not pleasant.

2. Why Should You Not Drink Coca-Cola (Coke)?

1. Coca-cola contains caffeine, aspartame and sugar.
2. Cola can be a core reason for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
3. Girls might develop PCOD/PCOS due to excessive consumption of coke.
4. Coke is capable of eroding a person’s tooth enamel.
5. Coca-Cola has increased the risk of heart disease by 60%.
6. Coke decreases your metabolism.
7. Artificial sweeteners present in Coke can lead to kidney failure.

2.1. Your Stomach and Your Favorite Soda

Does heavy, oily food only cause gas and bloating? The answer is ‘NO’. Your favorite soda can very much cause gas and bloating. Why don’t we realize that? What does soda do to your stomach?

It’s because these drinks are made so that they give us a feeling of immense pleasure when we consume them. Soda cleanses our digestive tract.

Carbonated beverages move into your digestive tract, and all the fizz becomes gas. Consuming soft drinks alters the body’s pH levels and adds air to the intestines.

3. Astonishing Facts We Bet You Didn’t Know

1. Coke used to contain cocaine and alcohol up till 1929. It was believed that it was okay to have cocaine in little amounts at that time.
2. Soda was called Pop before it was actually called Soda.
3. Coke doesn’t exist in North Korea.
4. Fizzy carbonated beverages were sold as remedies for hypertension and indigestion²
5. Coke wanted to replace morning coffee and become the first drink a person could consume in a day.

3.1. Is Diet Coke Keeping Your Diet Healthy? 

The Coca-Cola Company released Diet Coke in 1982. Diet Coke replaced sugar with aspartame to make it a sugar-free drink. Health-conscious people slowly started opting for Diet Coke instead of the real Coke.

Even today, Gen Zs and millennials have started to make choices that appear healthy. Research says that no form of Coke is healthy or diet-friendly. Be it Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or the original Coca-Cola, all of them contain caffeine that is harmful to everyone.

3.2. Conclusion: Is Coke Slowly Eating You Up? What Does Soda Do to Your Stomach?

Coke tastes like heaven, but it’ll take you to heaven before anyone else who doesn’t have it. It can be called a slow poison that will damage your body parts one after the other.

This drink has excessive sugar in it, which causes type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, heart problems and many more diseases that have been discussed in the article above.

In short, whether diet Coke or real Coke, both are potentially harmful to one’s health. They can cause short—and long-term health issues.

There are many other mouth-watering beverages available that are not harmful or less harmful than Coca-Cola and soda. Everyone should opt for natural juices, lemon iced tea, etc., that do not contain excessive sugar, caffeine, aspartame or artificial color. 

Why would Food and Beverage companies think about people’s health? Why would they not focus on their profit levels? They will keep on releasing delicious, toothsome beverages and expect all of us to have them time and again.

But it is high time that everyone realizes the value of one drink they are paying for. It’s not just the MRP; the cost of your health and life is also added to it. Everyone must start opting for healthy options and understand what they do to your stomach.

1. Polyák, Éva, et al. “Effects of artificial sweeteners on body weight, food and drink intake.” Acta Physiologica Hungarica 97.4 (2010): 401-407. ↩︎
2. MacNeill, A. D. “Hypertension and its treatment.” British Homeopathic Journal 53.04 (1964): 277-287. ↩︎

Last Updated on March 7, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology