The Pro-Health, Anti-Soda Blog
Health
Soda Causes Traffic Accident
Jun 4th
So maybe you thought that soda was not healthy for you when you drink it. But, I recently came across this news item from Louisville, Kentucky which states otherwise.
A delivery truck lost some of its load of soda bottles which went all over Interstate 65 and caused a four-car accident and one reported injury. And by some, I mean 500 20-oz soda bottles!
I don’t know what I would do if I was driving at high speed and saw that scene unfolding in front of me.
Now that is a sticky situation.
Source: Courier-Journal
Diet Blog – Steps to Break A Soda Habit
Jun 3rd
Here is a great post on the Diet Blog on how to quit your soda habit.
- Take baby steps. If you drink four sodas per day, replace two with an alternative today.
- Make alternatives slowly. Start with diet soda, then switch to flavored water.
- Once you’ve gotten comfortable with this routine, replace your other sodas with an alternative.
- Still alive? Great! Now switch those diet sodas or flavored water to plain water. Don’t like plain water? Try adding fresh fruit to them.
- Experiment with other beverages like teas, milk, soy milk, and seltzer – the goal here is to hydrate mostly with plain water.
- Don’t keep soda in the house. Make it a treat to be enjoyed now and then.
I am on the step where I have replaced soda with flavored water. Although the chemicals that make up the composition of these flavors (such as 4C “Energy Rush” drinks) doesn’t agree with me – it is a step in the right direction.
Never liked the taste of Diet Soda so I was able to skip that step!
Source: Diet Blog
The Acidity (pH) of Soda Pop
May 31st
More bad news for soda drinkers (that includes both regular and diet sodas). In 2007 a study was published in General Dentistry on the acidity of some common soft drinks, and what effect those soft drinks had when a recently extracted tooth was submerged in them for 2 days. This study was done to cause the tooth decay that soda causes.
What is pH?
Acidity ranges in general go from 0 to 14, with a pH of 7 being neutral. Pure water is typically considered neutral at pH 7, where tap water has been measured having a pH of 7.67, a slight base.
For more on Acids, Bases, and pH.
Here is a chart of the ph of some common household items:
|
Solution |
pH |
|
|---|---|---|
| Acidic | Lemon Juice | 1.6-1.8 |
| Vinegar | 2.5 | |
| Milk | 6.3-6.6 | |
| Saliva | 6.2-7.4 | |
| Neutral | Pure Water | 7.0 |
| Basic | Blood | 7.4 |
| Egg Whites | 7.6-8.0 | |
| Milk of Magnesia | 10.5 |
The pH of soda pop
So how did soda fare in this study? As you could probably guess, not too well.
Here is a chart of the acidity levels of some common sodas:
|
Soda Name |
pH |
|---|---|
| Coke | 2.525 |
| Diet Coke | 3.289 |
| Pepsi | 2.530 |
| Diet Pepsi | 3.031 |
| Dr. Pepper | 2.899 |
| Diet Dr. Pepper | 3.169 |
| Cherry Coke | 2.522 |
| RC Cola | 2.387 |
| Mr. Pibb | 2.902 |
| Mountain Dew | 3.229 |
| Diet Mountain Dew | 3.365 |
| Squirt | 2.898 |
| Surge | 3.004 |
| Slice Orange | 3.059 |
| Sprite | 3.202 |
| 7 Up | 3.202 |
| Diet 7 Up | 3.706 |
| Lemon Brisk | 2.868 |
| Lemon Nestea | 2.969 |
| Mug Root beer | 4.038 |
| Tap Water | 7.67 |
The worst offender was RC Cola, Cherry Coke, Coke and Pepsi not far behind. The least acidic soda was Mug Root Beer at a pH of 4.
Results of Study
The study was done by submersing teeth in soda, so although this does not show real-life drinking patterns, it does show that the longer soda is exposed to teeth, the more corrosion does occur. The authors of the study suggest drinking soda through a straw to mitigate any contact with your teeth – and that definately means no swishing.
Finally, as you can tell, the pH of some sodas equals the pH of Vinegar! If that isn’t enough to turn your stomach, I don’t know what is!
Source: Commercial soft drinks: pH and in vitro dissolution of enamel – Jain, Nihil, Sobkowski, Agustin
Drinking Lots of Soda Can Make Your Muscles Weak, According To New Study
May 27th
A steady, litres-per-day diet of colas can cause serious muscle problems, doctors warned in a study Tuesday.
A review of clinical cases showed that super-sized doses of soft drinks loaded with processed sugars and caffeine can cause potassium levels in the blood to plummet, giving rise to a condition known as hypokalaemia.
Small changes in potassium levels can profoundly effect the functioning of the body’s cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems.
Typical symptoms of hypokalaemia are decreased muscle strength, cramping, palpitations and nausea.
In more extreme cases, potassium deficiency can lead to heart trouble and profound paralysis.
“We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before and a number of health issues have already been identified,” including tooth decay, loss of bone mass, and diabetes, said Moses Elisaf, a doctor at the University of Ioannina in Greece and main architect of the study.
“Excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalaemia, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions,” he said in a statement. [emphasis added]
So in addition to making you fat, drinking soda excessively can also make you weak. Yet another reason why you should stop drinking soda!
Source: Canada.com
Excessive Cola Consumption Can Lead To Super-sized Muscle Problems, Warn Doctors
May 21st
ScienceDaily (May 20, 2009) — Doctors have issued a warning about excessive cola consumption after noticing an increase in the number of patients suffering from muscle problems, according to the June issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
“We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before and a number of health issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone demineralisation and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes” says Dr Moses Elisaf from the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Ioannina, Greece.
“Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalaemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions.”
A research review carried out by Dr Elisaf and his colleagues has shown that symptoms can range from mild weakness to profound paralysis. Luckily all the patients studied made a rapid and full recovery after they stopped drinking cola and took oral or intravenous potassium.
The case studies looked at patients whose consumption ranged from two to nine litres of cola a day.
Yet more reasons to stop drinking soda!
Source: Science Daily
Headaches, and Soda vs Pop vs Coke
Sep 10th
Day 6: I seem to be having some pretty bad headaches today. I was warned I might get them. I think it might be from the caffeine withdrawal or maybe because I don’t get as much liquid. Also I seem to get them around the same time each day. The time corresponds with the period of time when I felt energy ‘lows’ while I was still on soda. My body is probably getting used to the lack of extra chemicals. Hoping that after a few weeks of no soda, more exercise, and better eating that I will have normal energy back!
Speaking of soda, check out this map of the popular vernacular for soda vs pop vs coke. Very interesting indeed.
Pop vs Soda vs Coke Map
Some attribute the descriptive word ‘coke’ to Coca Cola being Headquartered in GA – however my guess is that it is more likely the success of marketing of Coke in that area which may explain it.
Sources report southerners coming up north an wanting an orange soda, for example “Orange Slice”, and ordering an “Orange Coke” to the confusion of the server.
What Happens To Your Body When You Drink A Soda?
Sep 5th
So, what happens to your body when you drink a soda? This insightful article from Healthbolt gives you a good idea of what happens from the sudden infusion of high fructose corn syrup and other chemicals:
- 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’splenty 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 theability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.
As you can see, your body goes through some pretty drastic changes. Many valuable nutrients are lost; while the body converts much of the sugar into fat.
[ via healthbolt ]
