Soft Drinks – Are They Safe?

Soft drinks are popular beverages consisting primarily of carbonated water, sugar, and flavorings especially among younger generations. Nearly 200 nations enjoy the sweet, sparkling soda with an annual consumption of more than 34 billion gallons. Soft drinks rank as America’s favorite beverage segment, representing 25% of the total beverage market.

The various substances in soft drinks are compound to various health problem, especially the typical formulations with their carbonic acid or phosphoric acid.Phosphoric acid gives drinks the bubbles along with C02. Though it tickles going down, phosphoric acid is no laughing matter. It robs the body of calcium and can contribute to osteoporosis. The lack of calcium causes the bones to be porous and prone to fractures.

A can of coke (coca cola) has 12 teaspoons of sugar. This give it a sweet taste, but at a price. The over consumption of sugar can lead to diabetes or hypoglycemia. A study from Harvard shows that soft drinks may be responsible for the doubling of obesity in children over the last 15 years.In children, studies show an increase in both tooth decay and obesity.

Currently, many people are looking for so called sugar free product, seemed to be healthier…But, what is in the sugar free drinks? What is being used to substitute sugar?

Sucralose known by tradename as Splenda- is an artificial sweetener. However, splenda is not a good substitute for sugar. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, Splenda has been linked to a number of toxic side effects including shrunken thymus glands (up to 40 percent shrinkage), enlarged liver and kidneys, reduced growth rate, aborted pregnancy, and diarrhea.

Aspartame (Nutra-sweet) is another popular substitute. It is an artificial sweetener with bitter affects on the body. Based on the research of Russell Blaylock, MD and H.J. Roberts, MD some possible problems are:

- Muscle aches

- Headaches

- Dizziness

- Numbness

- Depression

-Hyperactivity

- Seizures

- High blood pressure

- Brain tumors

Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands and gives you a “lift” from drinking a soft drink. The old saying “what goes up must comedown,” is true. Caffeine causes over stimulation and leads to mood swings, fatigue, and other disorders. According to one report, soft drinks with caffeine can disrupt children’s sleep and leave them feeling tired during the day.

What can I drink then?

There are lots of healthy alternatives such as fruits juice, green tea, herbal tea…:) Manuka honey is a good substitute of sugar.

References:

# Lancet 2001;357:505-08. “Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis”
# Schulze MB, Manson JE, Ludwig DS, Colditz GA, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Hu FB Sugar-sweetened beverages, weight gain, and incidence of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women JAMA. 2004 Aug 25;292(8):927-34.
# Acids. British Soft Drinks Association. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
#http://www.supplecity.com

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