It is hard to escape, or to not be captivated by, those glitzy, high-priced TV ads that soda manufacturers inundate TV viewers with.
In 2011, The Coca-Cola Company, the world’s biggest soda and beverage manufacturer, spent an astounding $3 billion in advertising — more than one-third of its $8 billion net income profits for the same year. With that kind of promotional budget, the company continues to be very successful at selling many consumers on the idea that its sodas are not harmful to people’s health, or are even good for those who drink them.
Surely, a company that has been around for more than one hundred years couldn’t be selling us bad products. Or could it?
There are so many reasons why a person should avoid soda-drinking at all costs, that it’s hard to know where to start our discussion. But let’s begin with probably the single most toxic soda sold on the American and global markets: Sugar-free cola.
Sugar-free colas nowadays, including those manufactured by The Coca-Cola Co., are sweetened mostly with the artificial sweeteners aspartame, or a blend of sucralose and acesulfame potassium. Other ingredients in Diet Coke include: caramel color, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, and caffeine.
So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. This is what you’re putting into your body every time you guzzle down a can or a bottle of Diet Coke:
Aspartame:
Industry-funded studies on this artificial sweetener, which bears the deceptive brand names NutraSweet and Equal, have been short-termed — perhaps intentionally so — usually lasting only weeks or months, and as such making it impossible to draw statistical conclusions about the effects of long-term human consumption of this chemical.
However, a recent large-scale, long-term Harvard University study, spanning 22 years, found a connection between aspartame consumption and non-Hodgkins lymphoma and leukemia in men, and a higher risk for leukemia in women.
The study found that men who consumed more than one diet soda can per day had an increased risk of developing multiple myelomas and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Women, as well as men, had a higher risk of developing leukemia. Previous animal studies had also indicated a connection between aspartame and cancer.
Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), a naturally occurring enzyme in humans and animals, converts the methanol from aspartame into formaldehyde — a gas commonly used to embalm corpses, and suspected to increase the risk of cancer and other autoimmune diseases.
Aspartame consumption has also been reported by consumers to cause spasms, dizziness, memory loss and impaired vision.
In addition, studies have shown that saccharin, the popular artificial sweetener from three decades ago, and aspartame actually lead to more weight gain than table sugar.
Sucralose:
Used in some versions of Diet Coke, and in other soda brands. This artificial sweetener goes by the name brand Splenda … but according to studies, as well as consumers, it is anything but splendid.
Sucralose degrades slowly in nature; waste water treatment has little effect on it, meaning that there could be a gradual increase of this chemical in the planet’s waterways. One could also extrapolate that over time, it may accumulate in human tissues and organs.
Duke University found that high doses of Splenda reduced the amount of fecal microflora in rats by up to 50 percent, and contributed to body weight increases in the rats.
Another study linked very large doses of sucralose to DNA damage in mice.
In his popular alternative medicine website, New York Times best-selling author Dr. Joseph Mercola states that people from all over the world who consumed sucralose have reported experiencing gastrointestinal problems, seizures, dizziness, migraines, allergic reactions, blood sugar increases, weight gain, and other complications.
Between 2000 and 2004, the number of United States households using Splenda products increased from 3 percent to 20 percent. And yet, the studies that have been conducted on the effects of sucralose have only lasted from a few days to a few months; they have not served to inform the consumer of the possible or actual effects of long-term consumption.
McNeil Nutritionals (another misnomer), the manufacturer of Splenda, contends that its sweetener is not digested or metabolized by the human body. That’s because the sucralose molecule, which results from a series of chemical laboratory syntheses, does not exist in nature; therefore, the body does not possess the ability to assimilate it!
However, studies, mostly conducted in animals, demonstrated that between 11 and 27 percent of sucralose ingested is, in fact, absorbed into the digestive system and is ultimately stored in the body. That’s not to say that it’s used up by the body for any beneficial purpose, but it can certainly make its way into different tissues and organs and cause damage. In one human study, one of the eight participants did not expel any sucralose even after three days of consuming it! Obviously, this subject’s body was absorbing the chemical, and possibly metabolizing it in some unhealthful manner.
One reader posting a comment on Dr. Mercola’s website wrote that her mother had a friend who used artificial sweeteners often, as part of her dieting strategy. The woman dieter eventually died from cancer. When an autopsy was performed, the doctor found that the woman’s stomach and her intestines were coated with caked-on artificial sweetener.
Other readers reported persistent chest pains, severe insomnia, and intense itching all over the body. These symptoms all went away a few days after the people reporting them stopped drinking diet colas.
Caramel Color:
The state of California added caramel color, 4-methylimidazole (4-MI or 4-MEI) to its list of known carcinogens in 2011. Faced with the prospect of having to put cancer warning labels on every soda it sold, the Coca-Cola Co. switched to a lower 4-MI formulation for its cola beverages.
Phosphoric Acid:
Used to give colas a tangy flavor … and to remove rust from metal. Phosphoric acid is more acidic than lemon juice or even vinegar. It has been linked to decreased bone density, as well as damage to tooth enamel.
Caffeine:
While a little is good for your health and increases alertness, it reduces fine motor coordination and can lead to nervousness.
Potassium Benzoate:
A food preservative that can produce allergic reactions in some people.
As for non-diet colas, you are then replacing artificial sweetener with either high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose.
Neither is a good alternative.
A recent Princeton University study found that rats with access to hfcs gained significantly more weight than rats that were given table sugar — even when the overall caloric intake was the same. Additionally, rats that were fed hfcs gained more weight than those consuming a high-fat diet.
Another recent study, co-authored by researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Southern California, found a link between hfcs consumption and higher obesity rates in humans. The researchers compared countries where hfcs was added to the food supply, versus countries where hfcs is not consumed.
As for sucrose, although a natural sweetener, it poses all the potential hazards of consuming too much sugar in one’s diet: weight gain, type 2 diabetes, high triglyceride levels in the blood — all of these increase the risk of heart disease.
As far as sodas that come in bright, inviting colors — in addition to the hfcs, what they’re usually sweetened with, you also now have artificial flavors and artificial colorings. The latter have been linked to cancer, hyperactivity in children, and allergic reactions.
Further, most of these sodas contain other common preservatives, including sodium benzoate, which was found by a British researcher at Sheffield University in the UK to harm mitochondrial DNA in living yeast cells. Additionally, research published by the British government’s Food Standards Agency suggests a link between sodium benzoate and hyperactive behavior and decreased intelligence in children.
Natural, Satisfying Alternatives to Sodas
If it’s the caffeine you need, coffee or tea are healthy in moderation — just don’t use artificial non-dairy creamers (which have hydrogenated oils that are linked to heart disease, and chemical preservatives) or artificial sweeteners.
And if it’s the carbonation you crave, try drinking carbonated mineral water (but not tonic water, as that, too, has preservatives) with fresh lemon juice. Or you can fill a 16-oz glass with 12 ounces of carbonated water, top it with 3 ounces of any natural fruit juice you like, and you have a nice, fizzy, lightly sweet and healthy beverage.
One of the many amazing things about the human body is that it can adapt to change quite well — especially, if it’s a positive change. If you’re someone who craves really sweet drinks, cut those out completely and replace with very lightly sweetened coffee or tea (using raw sugar or honey as a sweetener, and real cream or milk as creamer), or drink water with fresh lemon juice, or very diluted water/juice drinks. If you do that for a few weeks, and you taste a soda again, the soda will now taste too sweet for your taste buds. Try it!
It’s a fact that government oversight is often ineffectual, flawed and even tainted by financial conflicts of interest. Just because a government agency gave the go-ahead to some frankensteinian artificial laboratory chemical, it does not mean that it’s healthy, or even neutral, for your system.
You can spend thousands, or more, on medications and doctor’s visits later on, and suffer a lot of discomfort … or you can consume natural and nature-based products, which are compatible with, and sustain, the physiology you were born with.
By Marc Courtiol