A major part of our advocacy is to point people in the proper direction to make an educated decision about soda, and become aware of the dangers of overconsumption, while encouraging healthier living and moderated sugar intake.

Below are more than 60 soda-related studies done by major research universities in the last ten years. We encourage you to do the research for yourself. Learn the facts as you decide whether or not to consume soda.

University of Bristol, UK – Consuming just two servings of sugary drinks such as soda each day can dull the taste buds and lead to cravings for high-calorie foods.

American Academy of Pediatrics – Sports and energy drinks are heavily marketed to children, but in most cases kids don’t need them – and some products contain substances that could be harmful to children.

University of Miami, Florida – Despite dubious marketing claims towards children and teenagers, energy drinks have no nutritional benefit, and cause adverse reactions in a large number of at-risk populations.

British Journal of Psychiatry – A high intake of refined sugars, such as those in soda and other processed beverages, correlates with a higher incidence of schizophrenia and depression.

International Study of Macro/Micro-Nutrients and Blood Pressure – Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages such as fruit drinks are associated with higher blood pressure levels in adults.

University of California, Davis – Caramel coloring in dark-colored sodas contains carcinogens 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole. Animal studies have found these chemicals promote lung, liver, and thyroid tumors.

University of Miami, Florida – Daily consumption of just one serving of diet soda increases the risk of developing a vascular event (including stroke and heart attack) by 48% in Americans.

Georgetown University – Consuming just two servings of soda per week increases your chance of developing pancreatic cancer by 87%.

Harvard School of Medicine – Phosphate, present in soda, increases the prevalence and severity of kidney disease and cardiovascular calcification. Phosphate in soda also induces severe muscle and skin atrophy over time.

Princeton University – Lab rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained more weight than those with access to regular sugar – even when caloric intake was the same – and experienced rapid gains in fat and triglycerides.

Duke University – Consumption of high fructose corn syrup, a major ingredient in soda, is linked to liver scarring.

Harvard School of Public Health – Drinking just one soda per day increases type-2 diabetes risk by 26% in adults.

University of California, Los Angeles – Pancreatic cancer cells use fructose, an ingredient in soda, to proliferate.

City University of New York – Up to 60% of boys and 54% of girls drink the minimum amount of water recommended by the U.S. Institute of Medicine.

Mayo Clinic – Reasons why it’s important to drink more than 60 ounces of water each day.

FASEB Journal – The high levels of phosphates in soda accelerate the signs of aging.

Archives of Internal Medicine – A tax on soda improves health, lowers body weight and body fat percentage.

University of California, San Francisco – Consumption of soda contributed to 130,000 new cases of diabetes, 14,000 new cases of heart disease and 50,000 life-years burdened with heart disease in the last decade in the USA.

University of Texas – Children who engage in physical activity are negatively impacting their health by consuming large amounts of unhealthy sports beverages containing excessive sugar.

University of Southern California – High fructose corn syrup in soda contains a much higher concentration of fructose than what is advertised by manufacturers.

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – Increasing the price of fast food through a tax steers Americans toward healthier diets, lower weights, and better measures of overall health.

American College of Rheumatology – A woman’s risk of being diagnosed with gout more than doubles by consuming just one serving of soda per day.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital – A diet filled with high levels of fructose and sucrose (sugar) increases obesity and leads to significant fatty liver disease with scar tissue.

American Society of Nephrology – Excessive fructose and high fructose corn syrup consumption leads to increased incidence of high blood pressure and hypertension in adults.

Harvard University Medical School – Soda sales slump quickly after the enactment of a tax on their purchase.

University of Buffalo – Placing a tax on soda and other unhealthy foods encourages the purchase, and consumption, of healthier foods by Americans.

Journal of School Health – One quarter of American students buy snacks from vending machines every day, and those who do add an extra 253 calories per day to their diet.

American Chemical Society – Store-bought bottled tea beverages contain more than 20 times fewer antioxidants, and significantly more artificial ingredients, than home-brewed hot teas.

University of Bristol, UK – Fructose, prevalent in soda, makes the human fat cell fatter and less insulin-sensitive.

University of Southern California – The carbonation present in drinks like soda spark the body’s pain receptors.

University of California, Los Angeles – Adults who drink one soda or more per day are 27% more likely to be overweight than those who do not drink sodas, regardless of other qualifiers.

American Heart Association – From 1970 to 2005, consumption of added sugars increased 19%, adding 76 calories to average daily intake. Soft drinks are the primary source of added sugar in the American diet.

University of Texas – Daily consumption of diet soda is associated with a 36% greater risk of metabolic syndrome and a 67% greater risk of type 2 diabetes compared with non-consumption.

Loyola University – Women who drink two cans of soda per day are twice as likely to develop kidney disease.

American Society of Nephrology – Consuming more than 2 servings of artificially-sweetened (diet) soda per day doubles the chances of kidney function decline in American women.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – Soda consumption is positively correlated with increased incidence of coronary heart disease in women, regardless of age.

Virginia Tech – People who drink a glass of water before every meal eat 75 fewer calories per meal than those who do not drink water prior to eating.

American Academy of Pediatrics – Promoting and providing drinking water instead of soda in elementary schools has a significant effect on reducing the population of overweight students.

Penn State University – Early consumption of soda in American girls is predictive of later poor dietary habits, including lower milk and vitamin intake and higher sugar intake.

New England Journal of Medicine – The revenue generated from a soda tax will be considerable, and can support childhood nutrition programs and obesity education programs.

Yale University – When school administrators remove soda and unhealthy snacks from schools, students eat more nutritious foods at both school and home.

University of California, Davis – Consumption of fructose and high fructose corn syrup decreases insulin sensitivity in overweight adults, exacerbating weight gain.

Louisiana State University – The mercury content in high fructose corn syrup may be linked to recent surges of autism, metabolic disruptions, and other ailments in California.

Columbia University – Fructose shuts down leptin sensors, inhibiting the body’s alert of satiety. This causes continued consumption past normal portion size, exacerbating weight gain.

British Medical Journal – Consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and fructose is strongly associated with an increased risk of gout in men.

Johns Hopkins University – Over the past 20 years, soda consumption has increased dramatically.

Loyola University, Chicago – Excessive consumption of soda – anything more than 1 serving per day – is associated with long-term kidney damage.

Framingham Heart Study Group – In adults, soft drink consumption associates with a significantly greater risk of metabolic syndrome and heart disease.

Oakland Research Institute – People on a diet who replace soda with water lose an extra five pounds per year on average than those who do not change their drinking habits.

University of Hawaii – Consumption of fructose (a major ingredient in soda) is associated with pancreatic cancer.

Rutgers University – Drinks containing high fructose corn syrup have high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown to trigger the cell and tissue damage that causes diabetes.

Yale University – There are clear associations between soft drink intake and increased body weight, lower intakes of milk, calcium, and other nutrients, and an increased risk of medical problems.

Sheffield University, UK – Sodium benzoate, an ingredient prevalent in soda, is linked to lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative ailments such as Parkinson’s Disease.

Harvard School of Public Health – Sugar-sweetened soft drinks contribute to the development of type-2 diabetes. Those who consume one serving of soda per day double their risk of acquiring type-2 diabetes.

University of California, Davis – Compared with glucose, the hepatic metabolism of fructose (from soda) favors lipogenesis, which contributes to hyperlipidemia and obesity.

University of Texas – People who consume diet soda actually eat more than people who consume regular soda. Furthermore, for every diet soda a person consumes, they are 65% more likely to end up overweight.

Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology – Aspartame, a major ingredient in diet soda, causes cancer and brain tumors in laboratory animals. To reach the same dose, a 140-pound person would have to drink three cans per day.

Purdue University – The artificial sweeteners in diet soda disrupt the body’s natural ability to regulate calories, exacerbating metabolic syndrome and food portion overconsumption.

Harvard School of Public Health – consuming one or more servings of sugar-added beverages like soda per day more than doubles the rate of development of type 2 diabetes.

Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center – Drinking just 17 ounces of water speeds up the metabolic rate in adults by more than 30% for the next 30 minutes.

Louisiana State University – The consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in soda and other sweetened beverages plays a significant role in the American obesity epidemic.

Johns Hopkins University – The more caffeine consumed, the more severe withdrawal symptoms. Furthermore, consumption of as little as one soda per day can produce a significant caffeine addiction.

Cornell University – Children that drink more than 12 ounces of soda every day gain significantly more weight than children who drink less than six ounces of soda.

Harvard School of Public Health – The odds of a child becoming obese increase 1.6 times for each serving of soda consumed above the daily recommended intake.

Loma Linda University – Drinking 5 glasses of water per day decreases the risk of deadly heart disease by 60%.