Are your soft drinks silently destroying your kidneys?

We were back at the same café where he once worked as a lively, wide-eyed waiter. But this time, he looked gaunt and swollen, his eyes sunken. At just 20 years old, he is living with kidney failure.

Two years ago, he was a freshman in college. Now, he is on daily meds and bracing for weekly dialysis. He blames the lifestyle he once thought was harmless: skipping meals, staying up late and replacing water, even food, with soft drinks.

Kidney disease used to be something older people worried about. Not anymore.

More young adults are developing chronic kidney problems. The reason? Poor lifestyle habits, especially heavy consumption of sugary sodas. These drinks are packed with sugar, preservatives and artificial chemicals that slowly overwhelm the kidneys. But because symptoms often come late, damage builds in silence.

Today's fast-paced lifestyle makes things worse. Many young people eat irregularly, sleep poorly and rely on soft drinks for energy or comfort. They feel too young to get sick, until they are.

Small daily choices can make a difference. Drinking more water. Eating real meals. Sleeping just one hour earlier. These habits might sound minor, but they can save you from a lifetime of medical bills, hospital visits and emotional exhaustion.

Youth is precious, but it is also easy to waste, especially when we treat our health like it is invincible.

Many countries have started taxing sugary drinks to curb consumption. Vietnam has considered it, but debate continues. To me, the answer is clear. A cheap soda today can lead to millions in treatment tomorrow.

We don't need another 20-year-old learning the hard way.