Soda and Soft Drinks

On this page you will find several articles related to the effects of carbonated soft drinks on your health. Information you can utilize in living your life to the fullest.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

ARTICLE # 1: Effects of Coke (cola) on the body
ARTICLE # 2:  The Effects of Soft Drink Consumption
ARTICLE # 3: From Purdue University, one can of Coke, 12 ounces, per day for a year equals
over 50,000 calories or up to 15 pounds of weight gain.

ARTICLE 1:

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high. They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.

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 dialate, 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.

Technorati Tags: coke, effects, pharmacology, soda, caffeine, sugar

*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.

ARTICLE 2:
The Effects of Soft Drink Consumption
A meta-analysis confirms the negative effects of soft drinks on health-related measures.

The obesity epidemic has fueled concerns that the consumption of soft drinks might adversely affect nutritional health. In a meta-analysis of 88 studies (many involving children), investigators assessed the effects of consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks on energy intake, weight, consumption of milk and calcium, nutrient intake, and overall health. Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and randomized trials were included.

Soft drink intake was associated with increased energy intake in 24 of 33 relevant studies (overall effect size, 0.16), including 4 randomized controlled trials that examined consumption for 3 to 10 weeks (average effect size, 0.30). Results of 32 studies that evaluated the relation between soft drink consumption and weight were variable, but 5 of 7 randomized trials showed an association with weight gain (average effect size, 0.24). Soft drink consumption also had negative effects on milk and calcium consumption, micronutrient intake, and overall health.

Comment: I struggle with meta-analyses. Although the increased sample size adds statistical power, interventions vary from study to study. In addition, dozens of comparisons were made in this meta-analysis, increasing the likelihood of a “positive” finding. With those caveats in mind, the data are remarkably consistent. Soft drink consumption appears to increase caloric intake and weight and to reduce calcium, milk, and valuable micronutrient intake.

– Howard Bauchner, MD

Published in Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine May 23, 2007

Citation
Vartanian LR et al. Effects of soft drink consumption on nutrition and health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Public Health 2007 Apr; 97:667-75. [Medline® abstract]

Copyright © 2007. Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.

ARTICLE 3:
From Purdue University, one can of Coke, 12 ounces, per day for a year equals over 50,000 calories or up to 15 pounds of weight gain.

Also the acidity of coke lowers the bodys acid levels as well as meat, fried foods, acidy food which can cause a reaction of buffering the lower PH to the optimum slightly alkaline 7.2 the body needs to function effciently. Primary buffering is to draw calcium from muscle and bones to help balance. There are other mechanisms.

Enough soft drinks were produced in 2006 to give every person in US 56 gallons to drink.

From BMJ preservative in soft drinks, sodium benzoate reacts with vitamin C to produce Benzens, a know carcinogenic.

Simpe rule, do not drink soda.