By Dr. Mercola I’ve been warning you of the dangers of soda
since I started this site over 16 years ago, and the list of
reasons to avoid this beverage just keeps getting longer.
Americans in particular get most of their daily calories from
sugar, primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
in soda and other sweetened beverages. Half of the US population
over the age of two consumes sugary drinks on a daily basis,1
and this figure does not even include 100% fruit juices,
flavored milk or sweetened teas, all of which are sugary too,
which means the figure is actually even higher. Many people
mistakenly believe that as long as you are drinking fruit juice,
it's healthy even though it's sweet, but this is a dangerous
misconception that is fueling the rising rates of weight gain,
obesity, fatty liver disease, high blood pressure and type 2
diabetes in the United States and other developed nations. It’s
important to realize sugary drinks, soda and even fresh squeezed
fruit juice, contain fructose, whi