There are plenty of great reasons to skip the soda and pass on all those other sugary drinks, and now there’s one more: Doing so can help lower your blood pressure.

Not by a lot, mind you–but since it’s healthy, free and comes with no side effects, why wouldn’t you take advantage of it?

Researchers looked at 810 people between the ages of 25 and 70, all of whom had either prehypertension or stage I hypertension. At the start of the study, they were drinking an average of 10.5 ounces of sugary drinks, a touch less than a can of soda, every day.

But 18 months after ditching that daily sugar shock, the participants had shaved an average of 1.8 off their systolic blood pressure, and 1.1 off their diastolic blood pressure levels.

Now, I know that’s not a dramatic dip in blood pressure, and passing on sugary drinks alone won’t solve anyone’s hypertensions problems. But it’s a start and, combined with other natural solutions and lifestyle changes, it could become a small building block in a larger, healthier structure.

And since the researchers found that the blood pressure effects were tied to sugar consumption, not caffeine, you don’t even have to give up your coffee.

The researchers didn’t look at heavy soda consumers… so if you’re drinking a Big Gulp a day, it’s entirely possible that you could see an even bigger dip in blood pressure by simply switching over to a healthier drink or plain old water.

But if you’re still unimpressed, then consider all the other reasons to avoid sugary drinks: Empty calories, excess sugar, risk of obesity and heart problems, and a host of unholy additives and preservatives.

One recent study found that young men who drink soda have 30 percent fewer sperm than those who don’t.

Some people even use soda to bring the shine back to copper coins.

If it can do that to pennies, imagine what it’s doing to your insides!

Better yet, don’t imagine… just stop drinking this stuff. You’ll be healthier, and you’ll enjoy lower blood pressure, too.

Soda might be especially bad for kids… but it could be even worse for men who hope to have their own kids someday.

A new study finds that young men who drink a quart of cola each day have 30 percent fewer sperm swimming around. A quart may sound like a lot of soda–but it’s really just two of those 16-ounce plastic bottles most people consume easily enough.

Danish researchers looked at 2,500 young men and found that those who didn’t drink soda had a healthy 50 million sperm per milliliter of semen. Those who downed that daily quart, on the other hand, had an average of 35 million sperm per milliliter of semen, according to the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

That’s still enough to make a baby… but since lower sperm is linked to lower fertility, clearly these young men have a higher risk of reproductive problems–especially if those levels continue to fall as they age.

The researchers say cola alone may not be causing the sperm problems, since the soda-slurpers also tended to have unhealthier lifestyles. They were, for the most part, fast- food eaters. And like a lot of cola-loving youths, they didn’t make much time for fresh fruit and veggies.

But while these other reasons might also help explain millions of missing sperm, the researchers believe they know one thing that’s not causing it: caffeine. The study also found that men who drank coffee or tea instead of soda did not suffer from lower sperm levels.

Researchers are interested in what all that pop does to men since Danish youths have been increasing their consumption of this carbonated liquid poison. But if they’re really looking for some answers, they don’t need a study–they just need to look across the sea.

Americans consume more soda than any other people–and we’re also among the most overweight and diabetic. Soda is one of the prime ingredients fueling our problem-packed unhealthy lifestyle.

Soda has also been linked to tooth decay, liver problems and cell damage. Cell damage can actually disrupt your DNA, leading to conditions like Parkinson’s disease and cirrhosis.

And soda can also causes bone loss and poor mineralization, increasing the risk of broken bones and setting the stage for osteoporosis.

All that’s bad enough… but for men–especially young men– none of that may seem as bad as the idea of being less manly.

If you’re drinking soda, you may as well be drinking from the toilet.

Let me rephrase that: If you keep a clean throne, you might be better off drinking that water than anything from a soda fountain.

Before I give you the dirty details, you’ll definitely want to get rid of any nearby soda cups, especially if they’ve come from a convenience store or fast food soda fountain. Don’t finish them, just toss them out.

Trust me on this one.

All clear now? Good… because a new study finds that soda fountains are crawling with bacteria. Not just any bacteria, but coliform bacteria–otherwise known as the nasty little germs that grow in human and animal feces.

Researchers tested 90 soda and water samples from 30 different fast food restaurants in Virginia’s Roanoke Valley. In all, 70 percent tested positive for some form of bacteria–and many of them were resistant to one or more of 11 different antibiotics tested on them, according to the study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology.

The researchers found 48 percent tested positive for coliform, 17 percent tested positive for Chryseobacterium meningosepticum and 11 percent tested positive for E. coli. They also found species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia.

In plain English, that means there are lots of nasty germs living in those soda machines.

The bacteria appear to love the plastic tubes that send soda (and some of the bacteria) into your cup. Since customers don’t touch those tubes, the researchers believe restaurant workers with dirty hands are likely contaminating them–ironically, probably when they’re cleaning them.

Looks like someone’s not reading those “EMPLOYEES MUST WASH THEIR HANDS AFTER USING THE RESTROOM” signs.

The researchers tested bottled soda to use as a control group and found no contamination. But there are plenty of other reasons to avoid those, too.

Soda has been linked to tooth decay and obesity. Even diet soda can help you pack on pounds–studies have found people who drink diet sodas actually gain weight, and may be even more prone to diabetes.

Soda has also been linked to lower calcium levels, leading to bone loss and osteoporosis. I could go on, but I think most of us know this stuff isn’t very good for us.

Don’t replace soda with other canned or bottled drinks. I’ve been telling you quite a bit lately about the health benefits of coffee and tea, so considering brewing your own and enjoying them–hot or iced–throughout the day.

And if you want some fizz, stick to carbonated water.

Just don’t get it from a soda fountain!