If obesity and heart disease haven't stopped you from over-consuming soda, the increased risk of developing a chronic breathing condition just might do the trick.
A new study out of the University of Adelaide has shown that too many fizzy drinks can lead to an increased risk of developing asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
Australian researchers analyzed the health and soda drinking habits of 16,907 people age 16 or older in southern Australia between 2008 and 2010, according to the Guardian.
Their findings revealed that people who consumed at least a half a liter of soft drinks a day were more than twice as likely to develop either breathing condition compared with those who refrained from the drink altogether, Med Page Today reports.
"The amount of soft drink consumption is associated with an increased chance of asthma and or COPD. There exists a dose-response relationship, which means the more soft drink one consumes, the higher the chance of having these diseases," the researchers wrote in the journal Respirology, in which the results of the study were published.
However, the researchers were only able to establish an association between guzzling too many soft drinks and lung disease, not a distinct causal relationship, Health.com explains.
Not surprisingly, study participants who also smoked upped their chances of developing lung disease, notes Nursing Times. Smokers who consumed more than half a liter of soft drinks a day had a 6.6 times greater risk of COPD than those who refrained from both habits.