Drinking soda has its effects on the human body and researchers are still looking into what these sugary drinks do to us, so you might want to think twice about what that soda could be doing to your body before chugging it down.

A recent study conducted on animals was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, “found that these drinks may be particularly damaging to the brains of adolescents, one of the key age groups soda companies target,” according to the Family Health Freedom Network.

The study went as followed; both adolescent and adults rats were fed sugary beverages for one month and later had their cognitive functions and memory tested. The adolescent rats showed trouble learning and impaired memory, while adult rats appeared fine.

What's alarming is that a 20-ounce bottle of soda contains the equivalent of 16 teaspoons of sugar if you combine all the High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in the beverage. Consuming this much sugar at once creates a rapid creation of insulin to respond to the sugar and leads to an expedited rise in blood sugar.

Family Health Freedom Network has mapped out a play-by-play of what happens in our bodies after drinking a can of soda, and it goes like this:

- Within the first 20 minutes, you’ll see a spike in blood sugar, and the liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning enormous amounts of sugar into fat.

- Within the next 20 minutes, the caffeine adsorption is complete, pupils dilate, blood pressure goes up, and the liver moves more sugar into the bloodstream.

- After 45 minutes, the dopamine production has increased, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain.

- After 1 hour, you’ll start to have a blood sugar crash, and you could be temped to reach for another sweet drink or snack.

Chronically elevated insulin levels (which regular soda drinkers would have,) the subsequent insulin resistance is a foundational factor of most chronic diseases, from diabetes to cancer. Soda is number 4 among the top 10 sources of calories in the US diet and, in 2012, Gallup found that 48 percent of Americans said they drink at least one glass of soda a day, with proven detrimental impacts to their health.

As a kid, I wasn't allowed to drink soda, now I know why and I'm thankful for it!  As an adult, I used to love Diet Coke, but I'm glad I ditched that delicious yet dangerous drink a few years ago.

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