Consumers buying sickness
Pop! Vending machines that dispense sugar filled soda are found in popular areas. With the advantage cost of one bottle being one dollar, these machines get action from thirsty pedestrians. While there are options to get water in these machines, the majority of users will choose the soda. Photo courtesy of MCT Photo.
According to the European Society of Endocrinology, drinking two or more sweetened drinks per day can double your chance of getting diabetes.
Whether the drinks have sugar or artificial sweeteners, the risk factor for diabetes is still the same, so choosing the diet option of the same drinks may make no difference.
“I like drinking sugary drinks because they taste a lot better. Another thing is they are cheaper than organic drinks, which makes it easier for me to get [them],” said Hannah Phillips, 10.
The calories from these drinks increase the likelihood of obesity, which is a risk factor for diabetes. It was also discovered that these drinks make people less sensitive to insulin over time.
“With all the sugary drinks in today’s society, by 2035 we will all be diagnosed with diabetes,” said Brenden Pelton, 10.
In 2012, more than 29 million people were reported to have diabetes and in 2015, 415 million people worldwide had the disease according to the International Diabetes Foundation.
“I think the rise in diabetes is bad and we should be doing more to be helping out that huge population of people,” said Ally Lohorn, 11.
