Impact of soft drinks to health and economy: a critical review

Abstract

Aims To provide information regarding the different types of soft drinks and critically reviewing their risk on the dental and general health of children and adolescents, as well as the cost associated with such drinks. Methods The literature was reviewed using electronic databases, Medline, Embase, Cochrane library, and was complemented by cross-referencing using published references list from reviewed articles. Search words; soft drinks, juices, carbonated drinks, sports and energy drinks, soft drink and dental diseases, soft drink and health, cost of soft drinks, soft drink advertising, sugar tax on soft drinks were used for this review. In total, 104 papers were reviewed by both authors; of these, 62 papers were found to have relevant information. Results The consumption of soft drinks was found to have increased dramatically over the past several decades. The greatest increase in soft drink consumption has been among children and adolescents. Some commercial soft drinks are high in sugar content and acidity. In addition, they supply energy only and are of little nutritional benefit and lack micro-nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Soft drink consumption can contribute to detrimental oral and general health. Efforts have been made by manufacturers and government agencies to reduce the potential harmful effects of sugar-containing soft drinks on teeth and general health. These include banning the sale of soft drinks in schools, restricting soft drinks advertising, modifying the composition of soft drinks and introducing tax on sugar-containing soft drinks. Conclusions The consumption of soft drinks with high sugar content and acidity can contribute to detrimental oral health and may also affect general health. Therefore, it is necessary to educate patients about the harmful effects of different types of soft drinks as it is not always easy for individuals to identify from drink labelling the ingredients which they contain.

Risk Factors Associated with Carious Lesions in Permanent First Molars in Children: A Seven-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

“…Consumption of soft drinks, such as sodas and packaged juices, has increased among children and adolescents in the last decades. This constitutes not only a problem for oral health, but also for health in general, both because of its high sugar content and low pH [46]. Therefore, parental and patient education regarding the harmful effects of these drinks is necessary.…”

Trends in the Use of Low and No-Calorie Sweeteners in Non-Alcoholic Beverages in Slovenia

“…Diet-related risk factors, including obesity/overweight, have been associated with some non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and certain cancers. One of the main problems in the modern diet is the consumption of excessive amounts of sugar [1]. Term total sugars include all mono-and disaccharides, while free and added sugars exclude naturally occurring sugars in milk, fruit, and vegetables.…”

“…However, reducing the amount of sugar in beverages can have a negative impact on sensory perception, affecting product sales. Many manufacturers therefore offer beverages with low and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) [1].…”

Diet Quality and Sociodemographic, Lifestyle, and Health-Related Determinants among People with Depression in Spain: New Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study (2011–2017)

“…It is vital for health authorities to take these findings into consideration when designing strategies to improve diet quality among individuals with depression. Although this research showed that the number of people who never or hardly ever consumed legumes and people who consumed soft drinks with sugar on a daily basis declined from 2011 to 2017, government agencies should persevere with their efforts to reduce the consumption of soft drinks with sugar due to its potential dangers for general health [117] and encourage people to consume more legumes for their health benefits [111]. Additionally, our findings of depressive people suggest that males, people aged 16-24 years old and 25-44 years, separated or divorced, and also smokers were more likely to have a poor or improvable diet quality.…”