Could Your Soft Drink Be Hurting Your Mood?
Kazi Nasir | Oct 01, 2025, 15:27 IST
Soft Drink and Your Mood
( Image credit : Freepik )
Soft drinks are a favorite for many, especially when feeling tired, but new research reveals a possible hidden risk for women. A German study observed over 900 participants and found that women who consumed more soft drinks had higher odds of depression. The study explored how sugar, artificial sweeteners, and gut bacteria might influence mental health. While the link is not fully proven, cutting back on fizzy drinks may support better mood, gut health, and overall wellness.
Who doesn't want a fizzy soft drink when one is overpowered by tiredness? Yes many do that. But what if those drinks are not only raising more than just your sugar level? And what if they are silently also affecting your mental health? Surprise? new study exactly suggested that women who drink more soft drinks have a higher chance of being diagnosed with depression. And yes, that is a surprising and at the same time worrying idea for many people. So let us unpack what the study found to answer the final question, could soft drinks be hurting your mood?
Researchers in Germany studied more than 900 people and among them 405 had major depressive disorder and 527 were healthy. Yes, most participants were women.
They were asked about their soft drink habits over the past year. They also collected their stool samples to see what kinds of bacteria lived in their guts, where we digest food and many kinds of microbes live there.
What they found was striking because for every extra soft drink a woman drank daily the odds of depression went up by about 17 % so women who drank more soft drinks also reported worse depression symptoms. But here is the thing when it comes turn of men, the study did not find the same link. The effect seemed much stronger in women.
The researchers pointed to one bacterium whose name is Eggerthella which was more abundant in women who drank more soft drinks. That bacterium may influence inflammation or brain chemicals. But that part of the link explained only a small portion about 4 to 5 % of the effect.
So the connection is not fully proven yet. The study is observational, which means it sees patterns rather than proving cause. It is possible that depression causes people to drink more soft drink or that both come from a shared factor.
Why did the effect show up especially in women? Scientists are not entirely sure yet. One idea is that women’s hormones, body chemistry, or gut microbiome may respond differently to sugar or artificial sweeteners. The “microgenderome” concept suggests that men and women may have different gut-brain interactions.
Soft drinks are especially risky because of their large amounts of sugar or artificial sweeteners. They are “ultra-processed” drinks. These can disturb the balance of good and bad microbes in the gut. When the gut is out of balance it might affect how the brain works, mood, inflammation and energy levels.
Also, soft drinks cause rapid spikes in blood sugar and then crashes. That up and down swing may stress the body. Add to that the effects on gut health and the combined strain may make someone more vulnerable.
If you are a woman and you enjoy fizzy soft drinks then this study sends a gentle warning to you. Cutting back might help more than just your waistline and it might ease mood swings reduce inflammation and support gut health all of which may help mental wellness.
Doctors and mental health professionals often start asking about diet which include soft drink use when treating depression. Some might use this info to counsel patients to reduce sugar and processed foods. But remember this study does not prove that soft drinks cause depression. It shows a link and more research especially experiments and long term trials are needed to know for sure.
Another thing is depression is complex and it involves genetics, life events, stress, sleep, relationships and multiple physical factors so Soft drink intake could be one small piece of a much larger puzzle.
What the Study Discovered
What Experts Says About Soft Drink?
( Image credit : Freepik )
They were asked about their soft drink habits over the past year. They also collected their stool samples to see what kinds of bacteria lived in their guts, where we digest food and many kinds of microbes live there.
What they found was striking because for every extra soft drink a woman drank daily the odds of depression went up by about 17 % so women who drank more soft drinks also reported worse depression symptoms. But here is the thing when it comes turn of men, the study did not find the same link. The effect seemed much stronger in women.
The researchers pointed to one bacterium whose name is Eggerthella which was more abundant in women who drank more soft drinks. That bacterium may influence inflammation or brain chemicals. But that part of the link explained only a small portion about 4 to 5 % of the effect.
So the connection is not fully proven yet. The study is observational, which means it sees patterns rather than proving cause. It is possible that depression causes people to drink more soft drink or that both come from a shared factor.
Why Women and Why Soft Drinks?
Why Women and Why Soft Drinks?
( Image credit : Freepik )
Soft drinks are especially risky because of their large amounts of sugar or artificial sweeteners. They are “ultra-processed” drinks. These can disturb the balance of good and bad microbes in the gut. When the gut is out of balance it might affect how the brain works, mood, inflammation and energy levels.
Also, soft drinks cause rapid spikes in blood sugar and then crashes. That up and down swing may stress the body. Add to that the effects on gut health and the combined strain may make someone more vulnerable.
What This Means for You
Doctors and mental health professionals often start asking about diet which include soft drink use when treating depression. Some might use this info to counsel patients to reduce sugar and processed foods. But remember this study does not prove that soft drinks cause depression. It shows a link and more research especially experiments and long term trials are needed to know for sure.
Another thing is depression is complex and it involves genetics, life events, stress, sleep, relationships and multiple physical factors so Soft drink intake could be one small piece of a much larger puzzle.