Straws have been around for centuries. In fact, they go all the back to 3000 BC, when beer was drunk using gold-colored tubes. However, in the 1970s, plastic straws came into existence.

Today, approximately 170 to 490 million plastic straws are used each day. Not only do straws making drinking easier and more sanitary, but they are also a great way to help the disabled and old people drink safely.

However, apart from straws being terrible for the environment, they are also not that great for your health. Here’s why:

Straws Can Lead to Smoker’s Lips

When you drink from a straw, you have to pucker your lips. You may barely notice this at first, but over the years, you will find wrinkles forming around your mouth and lips. This is known as smoker’s lips.

Smoker’s lips is a common phrase used to describe the wrinkles that form around the mouth due to years of exposure to smoking cigarettes. Sucking from a straw uses the same lip movement, hence, it is not good for your facial features.

Straws Cause Bloating and Extra Gas

Drinking from a straw may be fun and may encourage you to reach your daily water goal, but what you do not realize when you drink from a straw is that you are also consuming the surrounding air.

The air then finds its way to the digestive tract, which leads to excess gas and bloating in the stomach. You may also notice yourself burping more for the same reason. Hence, when facing bloating problems, the first thing doctors do is tell their patients to avoid using straws.

Straws Cause Cavities and Encourage Tooth Decay

Even though using a straw can reduce stains on your front teeth, this does not mean that it will stop the staining process altogether, especially since the sugar from sodas and other beverages will still touch your teeth.

The liquids you drink will find their way to your molars, causing discoloration and cavities. Moreover, if you tightly press the straw to your front teeth, it can cause staining between the teeth.

Straws Can Make You Gain Weight

Research produced by the Washington Post claimed that when you use straws, you have no idea how much liquid you are consuming, whether a juice or drink. This means that you could potentially end up drinking more than you expect, hence leading to weight gain in a short period of time.

Moreover, drinking from a straw reduces the smell of a beverage. This can also lead to overconsumption of the drink. However, keep in mind that your daily calorie intake would only increase if you cannot keep a track of them when drinking from a straw.