“THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU CONSUME SODAS OR COLAS REGULARLY” Why I don’t drink soft drinks (and wish you didn’t)
Broadly speaking Soft Drinks (the type that bubles and
renal colic was high in the case of those who used to
fizzes and is cool, marketed in the name of Cola’s,
take soft drinks, especially the ones that are acidified
Lemonades and what not!) can cause the following
with phosphoric acid. The bubbles and fizz in these
drinks are due to phosphoric acid and carbon dioxide. The phosphor in th acid is known to upset the body’s
calcium-phosphorous ration and dissolve calcium out
of the bones and teeth. This can cause such condi-
tions as osteoporosis, weakening of the skeletal struc-
It can lead to such liver problems as Cirrhosis
ture, which can make one susceptible to broken bones.
It can be highly addictive causing insomnia,
Too much of phosphoric acid can cause bone malfor-
irritability, nervousness, anxiety and distur
mation in fetus. This has already been experimentally
proved on mice. also the phosphorous reacts with the
It can cause irreversible birth defects, mal
hydrochloric acid in the stomach and renders it inef-
formed foetus mainly due to bone disorders
fective, causing indigestion, bloating and gassiness.
In the United States, a study done on the harmful ef-
It can soften your bones and cause Osteoporo
fects of phosphoric acid had, infact isolated the prob-
lems and had made the Govt. issue a warning to the
It can drastically affect metabolism in the body
“manufacturer of certain world famous refreshing soft
It can badly affect the natural anti-bacterial
drink for the suspected effect to the bones of children
because of the large amount of phosphoric acid con-
tained in it.” But they ultimately “soft pedaled on the
issued to avoid disrupting the industry and the economyas a whole”.
Since none of the manufacturers reveal exactly whatthe composition of their soft drink is, it is difficult to
Soft Drinks are Addictive
pinpoint theconsequences of taking soft drinks. Butwith the little knowledge that is available of the con-
Soft drinks-colas and the pepper type drinks
tents of the drink, the physiology of our body and the
have an overdose of caffeine, which is a addictive.
various scientific studies and experiments that has
and it is not a wonder that soft drinks are the number
been done all over the world, let us find out how soft
one beverage in America and is on the path of being
drinks can cause such a wide range of problems. Let
so in India as well. Caffeine is an alkaloid; belonging
us be reminded that all the problems mentioned above
to the same family of chemicals as morphine, nico-
is, quite unfortunately, on the increase to day and hence
tine, cocaine, purine and strychnine all of which have
we need to approach the whole problem withan open
one thing in common; they are addictive. Caffeine
acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system. “Inthe amounts presently being consumed, it can cause
Soft Drinks are Highly Acidic
insomnia, nervousness, irritability, anxiety and distur-bances in the heart rate and rhythm. the long-term
“All kinds of soft drinks are highly acidic. Es-
effect of this drug on people are not known. But ex-
pecially, colas. In order to neutralize a glass of cola, it
periments on mice have forced the FDA-US, to make
takes atleast 32 glasses of high pH alkaline water.” it
an announcement to pregnant mothers to avoid tak-
is well known by the medical profession that disease
ing substances, which is suspected to have caffeine
loves acid. In fact a physician from Loma Linda Uni-
as an ingredient. Caffeine is known to be harmful to
versity said in a speech that if we could get our cells to
maintain normal pH (slightly alkaline), cancer couldnot grow in our bodies. Moreover cola will make our
Soft Drinks- Just A “Sweetened Carbonated
body poor in oxygen which again helps in the growth
Beverage”
Soft drinks are basically just sweetened, car-
All Soft Drinks Contain Phosphoric Acid
bonated water with no nutritional value. Their onlyfood energy comes from refined sugar – saccharin,
Most soft drinks are highly acidified with phos-
and aspartane have been shown to cause cancer in
phoric acid. A three-year study over 1000 men with a
laboratory animals and Nutra-sweet and equivalents
history of kidney stones showed that the incidence of
are linked to convulsions, depression, insomnia, irrita-
bility, weakness, dizziness, migraine headaches, moodchanges and mental retardation. (All these are so com-
Check it Yourself
mon ailments nowadays, especially among the youth!One wonders, why?) Dr. Charles Best, co-discoverer
You may buy a can of cola and put into it
an extracted baby tooth or a small iron nail. Keep
of insulin claims that soft drinks have much in com-
it for a couple of days. You will then notice that
mon with hard liquor. He says, “Cirrhosis of liver has
the tooth or the iron nail. Whichever you have
been found among teenagers who drink large quanti-
used has either softened, diminidhed in size or
ties of soft drinks, as well as among chronic alcohol-
has altogether dissolved. (Our experiment with
ics” and cirrhosis of the liver has no real cure even
an adult tooth revealed a lose of 10 mg. in weight
today! One other sugary fact is that on an average
of the tooth in just half an hour and in two days
300 ml of cola contains atleast an ounce (9 teaspoons)
the tooth had lost 20% of its total weight!)
of sugar. Doctors have found that taking in 24 tea-spoons of sugar a day can destroy 92% of the body’s
pening to your teeth, bones as well to the iron
Soft Drinks Are so Artificial
decrease the anti-bacterial action of Ampicillin and
Apart from the artificial sweetening and taste
Penicillin. The high Sodium content in Diet Sodas and
enhancing chemicals used. “ Cola drinks contain Cara-
the regular Cola drinks can adversely affect people
mel coloring which, according to researchers, has ge-
with a history of Blood Pressure. Patients with certain
netic effects and is a cancer causing suspect. Dr. George M. Halpen, Division of Allergy at the Univer-
types of tumours, kidney diseases, adrenal, thyroid or
sity of California Davis School of Medicine says “Soft
pituitary gland malfunction, diabetes and arterioscle-
Drinks may cause allergies”. Acute or chronic hives
rosis or the hardening of the arteries are asked by doc-
may be symptoms caused by low calorie, artificial
sweeteners. Polyethylene glycol is also sometimesused as an ingredent. Glycol is the same anti –freeze
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS?
used in automobiles and as an oil-solvent (Perhapsyou have noticed in USA that pouring cola drinks on
One wonders why, after all, should people (es-
windshield in a snow or ice storm will keep the wind-
pecially children and the young fall for such artificial
shield from freezing over with ice!). This prevents
thirst-quenching attitudes, when we have the natural
cola from solidifying even if stored in freezer! Heavy
fruit juices and other beverages that comes along with
soft drink consumption can interfere with our body’s
no diseases attached and is much cheaper. The “Con-
metabolization of iron and diminish nerve – impulse
tains no fruit juice/pulp” and “Artificially flavoured, Ar-
transmission. Colas may contain – but are not required
tificially coloured” declaration that we find in all soft
to disclose - such ingredients as ethyl alcohol, so-
drinks should naturally keep us away from taking these
dium alginate (possibly hazardous for pregnant woman)
drinks. Parents should take special care not to shower
and brominated vegetable oil ( considered harmful to
your love on your children, buying them this “tasty,
vital organs of animals and considered a health risk to
colourful, addictive bottle full of chemicals and crip-
heavy consumers of beverages containing it).
This is an analytical write-up on Soft Drinks, adapted
SOFT DRINKS – MORE AND MORE PROBLEMS !
and produced here from a study conducted by Mr.
Wil iam Frazier. M.P.H., N.C, Courtesy-WWW. Incase
Apart from all this, Cola drinks can interact
you would like to clarify or continue discussion on this
adversely with antacids, possibly causing constipation,
calcium loss, hypertension, nausea, vomiting, head-
aches and kidney damages. Soft drinks are known to
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