A friend of mine lives on diet soda. And I mean lives on it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this friend drink a glass of plain water and it pains me to think how the artificial stuff she is dumping into her body is impacting her health.

Whether you drink soda (or “pop,” depending on which part of the country you’re in) on the reg or just as a “treat” and whether you drink fully-sugared or “just” options with artificial sweeteners, here are a few things to consider before you next choose soda over any other option:

1) Extra sugar can lower your HDL cholesterol (that’s the good kind).
2) NUMEROUS studies have linked sugary drinks with obesity and Type 2 diabetes. You know this. All of New York knows this.
3) Artificial sweeteners can increase your risk of diabetes, too.
4) Studies suggest that diet soda does NOT promote weight loss and does NOT lower the calories you take in.
5) A recent study linked diet soda to an increased risk of dementia and stroke. Yes, I know the results are complicated and an absolutely 100% clear link hasn’t been established yet. But stroke and dementia? Why take the risk?
6) Artificial sweeteners impact how your body responds to other food and sweeteners. (You didn’t think we could just dump chemicals down our gullets without any impact, did you?)
7) You may not think about your skeleton very often, but your bones are important if you want to keep moving – and drinking soda is bad for your bones.

You only get one body. Why not treat it right?