One More Reason to Rethink Your Soda Habit

by Anna Maltby

We've heard a lot about the various evils of drinking too much soda, and a new study from Japan adds a new health concern regarding the beverage: Drinking too many soft drinks may cause kidney problems.

Researchers at Osaka University found that study subjects who drank two or more non-diet sodas per day were more likely to show signs of proteinuria, an elevated amount of protein in the urine, which can be a sign of kidney dysfunction.

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Why does this happen, you ask? The researchers point to high levels of fructose in sodas.

"A [previous] series of animal experiments reported that a fructose-rich diet induces proteinuria and kidney injury," lead study author Ryohei Yamamoto, M.D., told SELF. "Many kinds of soda are rich in fructose, and based on this new information, we think excessive fructose may play a role in kidney injury."

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But hang on, guys, don't ditch all your pop just quite yet. Dr. Yamamoto told us he believes one soda per day may be a healthy limit for your kidneys -- and in fact, if you think you can stand to switch to diet soda (which does not contain fructose), SELF's own medical advisor Harry Lodge, M.D., says he isn't too concerned about the impact of a small amount of diet soda every day on your health -- just make sure you're not using that "diet" label as an excuse to make unhealthy choices elsewhere during your day.

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