Over the years, lots of studies have been channeled towards the relationship between carbonated drinks and obesity. A study by Wolff (2008) identified that soft drink consumptions in the USA by young children was significantly associated to body overweight and obesity. Another study by Malik (2006) indicated that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was responsible for the increased levels of obesity and overweight based on the sugar content, satiety and the carbonation levels for the drinks.

Despite strong statement from the producers of the soft drinks arguing that carbonated drinks have little or on effect on the obesity levels in the population, scientific research has been proving otherwise. Finding from both short-term and long-term established have numerously established that consumption of carbonated drinks is one of the fastest ways to gain weight, ceteris paribus. This is to mean that although other factors may contribute to obesity, carbonated drinks play the most significant roles in the weight gain and may eventually lead to obesity if combined with other sets of unhealthy lifestyles. In this report, the research question is whether increased consumption of soft drinks increases the body weight of an individual from the short-term to the long-term prospects.

Hypothesis
The hypothesis for this research goes into the number of kilograms that one would add by consuming a 100ml of Coca Cola soda every day for the next 8 weeks. The weight for the subject as per the hypothesis increases rapidly with 3kgs for every two weeks of Coca Cola soda consumption.

Methods
Participants
In my study, I use only one male participant. Eric, a 23-year old African American is the subject of the study. With 5’9 feet as the height, the subject weighs 57 kgs before the beginning of the experiment. The participant is a final year university student and plays basketball for the university team. Therefore, he works out extensively for 5 hours every week and walks 2kms to the campus hostels everyday as part of the fitness program. On the number of meals, the participant takes the normal two-meals per day with some heavy lunch at one and a family dinner at 7p.m daily.

For this research, the quality of food taken by the participant has not been considered and therefore, the only constant variable is the soft drink which will be taken daily after the lunch and dinner.

Materials
To determine the changes in the weight based on the soft drink consumption, the weight of the participant will be taken everyday using the normal measuring scale. The daily soda consumption will be measured every time the participant uses the soft drink after the lunch and the dinner. However, no food scale is required for the research as the research is constant based on the soft drink consumption only. For the whole study, I will be required to provide, 10 2-litre Coca Cola bottles with the soft drinks. Therefore, I will be required to prepare a schedule for the 100ml consumption scale so that the patient does not surpass the set target for the carbonated drink.

Procedures
The experiment starts on 1st October to November 30th, 2017. For the 2 daily meals, the participant will be expected to split the 100ml drink into half consuming 50ml over the lunch time and the remaining 50ml over the dinner. For progressive record keeping, I will record the subject’s weight a day prior to the beginning of the experiment. After every two days from the start of the experiment, the weight of the participant will be measured consecutively. This will happen after dinner on 7pm.

Original weight= 57kgs
Data Collection
The independent variable was the Coca Cola soft drink
The dependent Variable was the body weight changes within the 8 weeks interval.

2-weeks weight Average as per the experiment= 3kgs

Discussion
Form the results, an 8-week consecutive consumption of a carbonated drink increased the body weight of the participant in 3kgs for every two-week interval. This is a clear indication that carbonated drinks as expected in this report contribute massively to weight gain irrespective of the daily meals consumed by the participant.

As researched by Vartanian (2007) soft drinks have been found to increase obesity and overweight as the consumers tend to avoid more important and balanced foods such as milk, greens, vitamin and calcium. Further, Vartanian, (2007) linked the consumption of the fizzled drinks to increase in other ailments such as diabetes, hypertension and heart attacks. Another research by the National Health Service in the USA indicated that individuals consuming more carbonated drinks exercised less and ate more compared to individuals who quench their thirsts using plain water. Therefore, there is a clear link between the consumption of carbonated drinks and obesity. The results from the participant in this research proved positive.

As per the NHS research, animals also exhibited similar body behavior on exposure to carbonated drinks. The rats fed on fizzled drinks gained weight significantly in a six-month period compared to their counterparts fed on flat soda. However, the research by NHS states that further studies are required to ascertain the role played by other meals combined with carbonated drinks to create the obesity effects. This creates some scientific notion that despite the carbonated drinks, the research could be limited by other factors such as the environmental and lifestyle.

• Malik, V. S., Schulze, M. B., & Hu, F. B. (2006). Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: a systematic review. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 84(2), 274288.
• NHS (2015). Can fizzy water make you fat?. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2017-05-15-can fizzy-water-make-you-fat-/
• Tordoff, M. G., & Alleva, A. M. (1990). Effect of drinking soda sweetened with aspartame or high-fructose corn syrup on food intake and body weight. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51(6), 963-969.
• Vartanian, L. R., Schwartz, M. B., & Brownell, K. D. (2007). Effects of soft drink consumption on nutrition and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American journal of public health, 97(4), 667-675.
• Wolff, E., & Dansinger, M. L. (2008). Soft drinks and weight gain: how strong is the link?. The Medscape Journal of Medicine, 10(8), 189.