Soda is one of society’s favorite beverages. Each year, billions of gallons of soda are sold in the United States alone. Though it is popular with men, women, and children, many experts believe drinking soda may have serious health consequences.
Some studies have suggested a link between drinking soda and obesity. Soda is high in sugar and calories. Combined with its practically nonexistent nutritional value, soda may cause drinkers to pack on the pounds without receiving even the smallest nutritional benefit. Surprisingly, drinking diet soda has been linked to weight gain as well. However, some experts assert that obesity may be caused not by drinking soda, but by the combination of drinking soda and leading a sedentary lifestyle.
Drinking soda has been shown to contribute to tooth decay. Spokesmen for the soda industry have conceded this point. Interestingly, in recent years, levels of tooth decay in the United States and similarly developed countries have decreased. This is in spite of the fact that more people are drinking soda than ever before. At the same time, levels of obesity have risen.
Obviously, the sugar consumption involved in drinking soda is cited for causing tooth decay. However, the acid in soda has been shown to erode tooth enamel, leading to dental cavities as well. In fact, the acid in soda can begin damaging enamel just 20 minutes after drinking soda.
Caffeine dependence may also form as a result of drinking soda that contains caffeine. Some health care advocates assert that caffeine may interfere with brain development in children. So far, however, this assertion has not been proven. Research suggests that individuals can develop caffeine dependence as a result of drinking soda and may experience withdrawal when caffeine consumption decreases.
Another unfortunate health effect of drinking soda is the weakening of bones. Some animal studies have shown that phosphorus in soda leaches calcium from bones. Similar studies on humans have suggested that drinking soda may lead to a tendency toward broken bones.
Many individuals choose to drink diet soda in order to avoid the sugar and calories in regular soda. Drinking diet soda, however, is not a perfect solution. Diet soda drinkers are still vulnerable to the acidic effects of soda. Furthermore, some artificial sweeteners, commonly used in diet soda, may contribute to serious health issues as well.
Amazing Facts About Soft Drinks/Soda
- The United States ranks first among countries in soft drink consumption. The per-capita consumption of soft drinks is in excess of 150 quarts per year, or about three quarts per week.
- Soft drink consumption in children poses a significant risk factor for impaired calcification of growing bones.
- Of the fifty-seven children who had low blood calcium levels, thirty-eight (66.7 percent) drank more than four bottles (12 to 16 ounces per bottle) of soft drinks per week, but only forty-eight (28 percent) of the 171 children with normal serum calcium levels consumed as much soft drink … These results more than support the contention that soft drink consumption leads to lower calcium levels in children. This situation that ultimately leads to poor bone mineralization, which explains the greater risk of broken bones in children who consume soft drinks.
- Soft drink consumption may be a major factor for osteoporosis as they are high in phosphates but contain virtually no calcium. This leads to lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in the blood. The United States ranks first among countries for soft drink consumption with a per capita consumption of approximately 15 ounces a day.-o
- The average pH of soft drinks, e.g. Coke, Pepsi is pH 3.4. This acidity is strong enough to dissolve teeth and bones! Our human body stops building bones at around the age of 30. After that it’ll be dissolving about 8-18% of the bones each year through the urine, depending on the acidity of the food intake (acidity does not depend on the taste of the food, but on the ratio of potassium / calcium / magnesium / etc. to phosphorus).
- All the dissolved calcium compounds accumulate in the arteries, veins, skin tissue, and organs. This affects the functioning of the kidney (kidney stones). Soft drinks do not have any nutritional value in terms of vitamins and minerals). They have higher sugar content, higher acidity, and more additives such as preservatives and colourings.
Your Brain of Coca Cola: That cool refreshing drink passes over your palate. Here is what happens:
In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
>60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
>60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
>60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.
This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.
What to do with all that Coke/Pepsi
1) To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl. Sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
No scrubbing, no sweat – guaranteed.
2) To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of aluminum foils dipped in Coca-Cola. Much economical than the stuff from Smart Shop.
3) To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
4) To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
5) To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle.
6) The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.
The world’s first soft drink disguised as a multi-purpose cleaner? Or should it be a multipurpose cleaner disguised as a soft drink?
