Not one, but two new studies have been published that highlight the potential negative effects that soft drinks and sugar can have on the kidneys. The results of both of these studies are being presented at the American Society of  Nephrology Kidney Week 2013 (November 5-10) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.

In one of these studies, a team of researchers led by Ryohei Yamamoto, MD, PhD, of Osaka Univ Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, found that the consumption of at least two soft drinks per day is linked with proteinuria, an increased excretion of protein in the urine, which is also a sign of kidney dysfunction. Among 3579, 3055, and 1342 university employees with normal kidney function at the beginning of the study who reported drinking zero, one, and two or more soft drinks per day, 301 (8.4%), 272 (8.9%) and 144 (10.7%) employees developed proteinuria during a median of 2.9 years.

The other study, led by Agustin Gonzalez-Vicente of Case Western Reserve University, was conducted in rats. It was discovered that moderate fructose intake increases the kidney’s sensitivity to angiotensin II, a protein that regulates salt balance. This leads to increased salt re-absorption by the cells in the kidneys. This finding could help explain why consumption of high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener may be a contributing factor to the current epidemic of diabetes, obesity, kidney failure, and hypertension.

Not only can soda consumption increase your risk for all of these medical issues, but previous studies have also found that it can increase the risk of kidney stones as well.

During one specific study, researchers found that people who reported drinking at least one soft drink each day had a 23 percent higher risk of kidney stones compared to people who only drank less than one of these beverages per week.

What it all comes down to is that sugar laden drinks potentially cause a host of medical problems and the effects are still being studied.