Love a fizzy soda with your lunch? You’re not alone, but a growing body of evidence shows that those extra bubbles may come at a hidden cost—premature aging at the cellular level. A large-scale study recently linked sugar-sweetened sodas to significantly shorter telomeres, a key marker for how quickly our cells age. In fact, just one 20-ounce soda a day may speed up aging by nearly five years, comparable to the effects of heavy smoking. Understanding what’s behind this and how to protect yourself could help you feel younger and healthier longer. Let’s unpack the research and what it means for your body.
Soda and the Telomere Connection
