Good thing Americans are decreasing their soda consumption.  In addition to a multitude of health benefits, we’ll save ourselves a lot of pain by reducing the risk of developing kidney stones.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest just posted the results of a recent study:

“Drinking more fluids is thought to prevent kidney stones. But that may not apply to sugar-sweetened soda.  Researchers tracked more than 194,000 people for roughly eight years. Those who drank at least one serving of sugar-sweetened cola a day had a 23 percent higher risk of kidney stones than those who drank less than one serving a week.  Likewise, those who drank at least one serving of sugar-sweetened non-cola a day had a 33 percent higher risk than those who drank less than one serving a week.”  Read more