Soda – Does it Cause Asthma and COPD?

With the USA dealing with a youth epidemic of obesity we have been educated as to the large amount of sugar and calories we get from drinking a can of  carbonated soda pop or pouring a glass of soda.   Vending machines for soda as well as fountain service have been removed from schools and school cafeterias in an effort to stop the youth intake of cheap inefficient calories.  Nobody criticizes the occasional use of soda pop in moderation but the continued use at 250-500 calories per 8 ounce serving will cause anyone to gain weight easily.

We now have another disease entity to think about. Australian researchers, in a pulmonary journal named  Respirology, have published the results of a “cross sectional study” that seems to link drinking at least a half liter of soda per day with the development of asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease.   By design, cross sectional studies will not show that drinking a half liter of soda a day is a cause of asthma or COPD, but it certainly can establish a relationship.

US researchers looking at the preliminary data seem to feel that individuals who consume that much soda a day probably have a poor overall diet and pay poor attention to their overall health putting themselves at risk for many types of diseases.  Additional research is needed on the subject but the message is clear, keep your soda intake to occasional use at moderate levels until more is known.