Sliced bread and soft drinks may have had the same level of success when they were first released. Soft drinks of all tastes and types quickly gained popularity and gradually became a staple of the everyday lives of people from all walks of life – kids, college students, men and women. Normally, any carbonated drink made from concentrates and not containing alcohol can be termed as a soft drink. With great popularity, however, comes greater controversy. In other words, while soft drinks have been waging a war against each other about popularity and success, all of them have been waging a war against the myriad of controversies and accusations they have faced in their long history.

One small accusation against soft drinks is about their production cost and their selling price. The huge difference between the two has risen the heckles of many a person having to buy gallons of soft drinks at outings and parties.

One of the first accusations against these soft drinks is their nutritional value. Soft drinks have been proved to have little or no nutritional value unless they are heavily fortified. Therefore, soft drinks contain no nutrients, vitamins, protein or fibers.

Another accusation soft drinks have to live with is the artificial nature of the drink. Most soft drinks are prepared with preservatives, emulsifiers, food flavors and colors. This has been a matter of objection with many soft drinkers. Other than that, soft drinks containing caffeine are said not to be a source of nutrients because of the diuretic properties of caffeine.

Some research has related soft drinks to obesity in children. The research says that soft drinks may be responsible for increasing obesity in children over the last ten or more years. The study has also revealed that boys in the United States have increased their soft drink intake drastically over the years. The result has revealed that children consuming soft drinks with sugar have an increased appetite. Soft drinks are normally consumed with fast food, which is in itself a target of much controversy.

While soft drink companies combat charges of child obesity now and then, they have also been accused of making grown ups gain weight as well make them more prevalent to type 2 diabetes. The results say that having more than one sugar based soft drinks in a day increases the risk of developing diabetes by about eighty percent.

Apart from obesity, soft drinks are also said to be a reason of the displacement of calcium from
the bones in the body. The theory states that the phosphoric acid in the soft drinks is responsible for the disintegration of the calcium in the bones of the body. This may lead to weak bones and even osteoporosis.  

Further tests have revealed that soft drinks may be acidic in nature. Drinking such acidic soft drinks over a long period of time may erode the teeth enamel. Some solution to this is provided by drinking soft drinks using a straw or brushing teeth right after the consumption of such soft drinks.

One of the more serious accusations against soft drinks is the proof of measurable amounts of alcohol in soft drinks. Alcohol is sometimes used in the preparation of some soft drinks where it is used for the preparation of flavoring extracts.

Some caffeine oriented soft drinks are even said to disrupt children's sleep and keep them tired throughout the day. Some other studies have found the traces of carcinogens in soft drinks. A test has shown the presence of benzene in soft drinks which are too high as compared to WHO levels.

Soft drinks have faced complete banning in a few countries due to the presence of pesticides in some samples of the drink. However, the soft drink companies have been given a clean chit almost every time they have been accused of selling pesticide-laced soft drinks.

While soft drinks are immensely popular, some people consider them to be completely unhealthy and unhygienic. While in some countries, soft drinks or cola drinks, as they are tagged, are a singular definition of 'western influences', other countries consider the mere consumption of soft drinks as immoral. Some countries have banned the sale of soft drinks in schools and other government-run institutions, due to the thought that the availability of drinks in schools may prompt children to consume soft drinks in larger numbers.

Of course, controversies seldom mar the sales of soft drinks. The amounts of soft drinks bought and consumed everyday are too immense to be ignored. After all, most of the world is a democratic place and it is the decision of the soft drink user whether or not they have to use the drink or not.

So, till the time all soft drink users do not come together and pledge never to use soft drinks, the soft drink is here to stay.

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