Everyone is seeking the fountain of youth, the trough of water that when someone partakes, it erases wrinkles, smoothes skin and eradicates crow’s feet.

Well, last I checked, no one’s found this ever-elusive fountain, so people continue to seek alternative methods that keep them—or at least try and keep them--looking younger longer.

From unnatural solutions—like collagen injections and facelifts—to natural solutions—like vitamin E and lycopene supplements—the tricks of the anti-aging trade work to varying degrees; there’s no broad based consensus on what’s the best solution.

Where there is a consensus, however, is in how someone can increase signs of aging.  And you guessed it: Excessive sun exposure is the “ager-in-chief.”

But there’s something else that can increase signs of aging, something that we know adversely affects our health, but up to now has most often been linked to obesity and tooth decay.

The culprit?  Soda pop.  Or to be more specific, any drink with effervescence.

Researchers happened upon this bubbly discovery after feeding rats varying doses of phosphates.  Phosphates are acids used in sodas that, among other things, give them their fizzy quality.

To see just how adversely phosphates affected the rats, they removed genes from their bodies that, among other functions, help to regulate phosphate consumption.  But when the Harvard researchers removed these genes, from the rats, the phosphates they consumed actually shortened their lifespan.

How short their lifespan was depended on how much phosphate they consumed.  For instance the third group of rats were fed the highest phosphate dose, and their lifespan was the shortest—dying 15 weeks after consuming what proved to be a toxic tonic.

In a statement, the editor of the journal in which the study was published—the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal—said, “Soda is the caffeine delivery vehicle of choice for millions of people worldwide, but it comes with phosphorus as a passenger.  This research suggests that our phosphorus balance influences the aging process, so don’t tip it.”

I second the good doctor’s advice.  Do whatever you can to stop drinking sodas and any other drink with bubbles.  I know a lot of people who have tried to steer away from sodas by drinking carbonated water.  Carbonated water is better than soda, that’s for sure, but as this study suggests, it’s not doing anything to reduce your risk for premature aging.

If you’re having trouble quitting cold turkey, taper yourself off of soda like you would any other addictive substance.  So if you were having two to three carbonated beverages a day, try having just one or one and a half.

Slowly cutting back on your carbonated beverage consumption will get you one step closer to a healthier, stronger, and younger you.

Source
newsmaxhealth.com