According to an article on CNN, obesity rates and upwards of 180,000 deaths are linked to soda and sugary drinks.

The article talked to an expert who broke it down:

"This means about one in every 100 deaths from obesity-related diseases is caused by drinking sugary beverages," says study author Gitanjali Singh, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Further, on the list of countries that rank highest in these rates, the United States was third, behind Mexico in the top spot.

The article also noted that it wasn’t the sugar itself that was causing the problems, but rather the fact that the excess of sugar causes extra pounds, which in turn causes cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some types of cancer.

Should we ban sodas or not? Watch this segment by CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and be the judge. But as for me, I am backing away from that vending machine, very slowly. What you eat just might kill you someday.