Water is a large part of human body: babies about 78%, one
year old 65%, adult men about 60%, and adult women about 55%. Our lean muscles
are about 75% water by weight, our bones are about 22% of water, and our body
fat contains 10% of water. Even small changes in the amount of water in our
body can make a difference in our health; therefore, the thirst mechanism in
our brain, normally, signals the body to drink water when the body is dry.
We lose water daily, thus, we need to drink about 8-12 cups
of fresh filtered water a day (each of 8 oz.) to replenish one lost through
sweating (about two cups), breathing (two cups), urinating and bowel movement
(six cups), and to keep all the body compartments with adequate amount of
water. We lose even more water when we drink coffee and caffeine-containing
soft drinks, alcohol, and when we exercise in a hot and dry weather.
Why Your Body Does Not Need Soft Drinks?
Besides of carbonated water, soft drinks contain ingredients
that are not required for human body functions. They even interfere with these
functions causing them fail over time, which manifests in obesity and diseases.
Let's take a look at the ingredients of the of a very
popular Diet soft drink, as an example, as it is prepared in the US:
Carbonated water
Aspartame (or Splenda) (but in regular sodas, high fructose
corn syrup - HFCS - is used instead)
Caramel color (E150d, most likely GM)
Phosphoric acid
Caffeine (46.5 mg. in a 12-oz can, but less caffeine,
34.5 mg., in a regular-coke can)
Potassium benzoate (to protect taste)
Natural flavors
Citric acid
Guess how many sodas do we drink? - more than 450 pints, or
206 liters per person per year now according to the National Soft Drink
Association (NSDA). Soft drink companies spend billions of dollars on
advertising, also pursuing children through movies, cartoons, and, videos,
playgrounds, toys, amusement parks, sweepstakes, clubs, plus radio, magazines,
and the internet. As a result, soft-drink companies earned over $57 billion in
sales in 2008 in the US.
A typical soft drink addict is a twelve-year-old child whose
drug is a soft drink from a vending machine in his school. Thousands of
children like him are sent to attend special classes sponsored by their schools
to be warned about the dangers of drugs, tobacco and alcohol. However, they are
not warned about the other drug - the soft drinks.
Aspartame - a synthetic sweetener in soft drinks - is a
potent neurotoxin (nerve poison) and endocrine disruptor connected to lymphoma
and leukemia, as it was shown in a research in 2005. Aspartame is the main
ingredient in sweeteners Equal and NutraSweet. The FDA approved aspartame for
use almost 30 years ago, in 1981, and it is sold under different brand names
such as NutraSweet, Equal Measure, and Spoonful. Aspartame can be found in over
6,000 products: sodas, juice drinks, flavored waters, iced teas, jams, chewing
gum, diabetic food, Metamucil fiber supplement, Fiber One breakfast cereal, and
even in chewable vitamins and over-the-counter prescriptions such as Alka
Seltzer Plus and several Tylenol medications.
FDA has recorded numerous consumers' reports on migraine
headaches and dizziness, insomnia, joint pain, memory loss, hives, rash,
abdominal cramping, hallucinations, seizures, and even deaths related to
aspartame consumption. Over 900 studies have been published on aspartame. In
1998, a study showed that dietary aspartame bounds to protein in body cells,
and it was found in liver, kidney, and blood. It accumulates over time without being
excreted, causing more damage and hazard by contributing to
formaldehyde-compounds formation. In human body, aspartame breaks down into
formaldehyde that is a known cause of birth defects and allergies. It was also
listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable human
carcinogen in 1987 causing both lymphoma and leukemia in lab rats and in
humans.
In May of 2009, an article shared a study in the Journal of
the National Cancer Institute investigating the association between formaldehyde
and lymph cancer. It was noticed when cancer cells are exposed to aspartame
they became more mobile. The original studies done by the G.D. Searle company
also pointed out that lymphomas and primary brain tumors as well as tumors of
multiple organs were related to aspartame. All of this signifies that aspartame
is a powerful carcinogenic substance.
Many of the common yet shocking symptoms associated with
aspartame according to FDA's records include:
Tumors
Eye problems such as protruding eyes, retinal detachment,
blindness, and bleeding eyes
Partial paralysis
Spasmodic Torticollis (involuntary spasms in neck)
Unsteady gait
Skin problems and lesions
Obesity
Genetic damage and birth defects
Recent studies conducted at Princeton University showed that
artificial sweeteners, e.g., NutraSweet present in many diet soft drinks, are
considerably sweeter than natural sugars, making your body crave sugar more due
to absence of the natural sugar. But being sweeter is not just the only harm of
the artificial sweeteners.
Splenda sweetener, used in a few highly sold popular soft
drinks is the trade name for sucralose - a synthetic compound containing
aspartame. British scientists discovered it accidentally when seeking a new
pesticide formula in 1976. It is true that Splenda molecule consists of sucrose
(sugar), except that three of the hydroxyl groups in the molecule being
replaced by three chlorine atoms. Independent researchers insist that Splenda
has more in common with pesticides. That's because the bonds, holding the
carbon and chlorine atoms together, are rather of a chlorocarbon property than
a salt, and so most pesticides are chlorocarbons.
Once it gets to the gut, sucralose (Splenda) goes largely unrecognized
in the body as food. That is why it has no calories. Many people do not absorb
a significant amount of Splenda in their small intestine. The paradox is that
your body tries to clear unrecognizable substances by digesting them so, it's
most likely, the healthier your gastrointestinal system is, the more you absorb
the chlorinated molecules of Splenda that might work as an endocrine disruptor.
The manufacturer's own short-term studies showed that sucralose caused shrunken
thymus glands and enlarged livers and kidneys in rodents. Observational
evidence showed side effects of Splenda, including skin rashes/flushing,
panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, muscle aches,
headaches, intestinal cramping, bladder issues, and stomach pain.
A Duke University study, commissioned and funded by a
sugar-industry lobbying group, found that doses of Splenda of between 100 and
1000 mg/kg, which contained sucralose at 1.1 to 11 mg/kg (when the FDA's
Acceptable Daily Intake is 5 mg/kg), reduced the amount of good bacteria in the
intestines of rats by up to 50%, thus, contributing to increases in body
weight. The recent findings also agree that composition of intestinal bacteria
plays a major role in body-weight regulation. Splenda increased the pH level in
the intestines, caused histopathological changes in the colon. It also
decreased total anaerobes and bifidobacteria (good bacteria), thereby
increasing the expression of the intestinal chemical transporter P-glycoprotein
(P-gp) and two CYP450 isozymes (CYP3A4 and CYP2D1) at levels associated with
reduced bioavailability of drugs and nutrients.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is used in regular sodas, in
cookies, candy bars, and all baked products in preference to sugar. It is
associated with poor development of collagen in growing animals, especially in
the context of copper deficiency. High-fructose corn syrup derived from cheap
corn is more economical because the domestic U.S. and Canadian prices of sugar
are twice the global price, and the price of corn is kept low through
government subsidies paid to the corn growers. Soft-drink makers giant
companies use sugar in their drinks for consumption in other nations/countries,
which refuse buying the HFCS-contained version. In U.S., however, the soft-drink
companies switched to corn syrup since 1984.
High-fructose corn syrup is produced by milling corn to
produce corn starch and later processing starch to yield corn syrup that is
almost entirely glucose. Then by adding enzymes to it they change most of the glucose
into fructose. Since fructose must be metabolized by the liver, animals
(including humans) on high-fructose diets develop liver problems similar to
those of alcoholics. Critics of HFCS say it is a "toxic chemical
concoction" contributing to weight gain by affecting normal appetite
functions. Genetically modified (GM) corn, which is not the corn farmers used
to grow some 40 years ago, makes up one of the largest portions of all
genetically engineered crops - about 80% in the US. When a label on a product
you buy does not contain word "organic", that means the corn syrup,
most likely, is made from the GM corn.
Caramel Color in soft drinks (code E150a, E150b, E150c,
E150d) can be produced from the genetically modified corn, thus, containing the
genetically modified material not detectable by a polymerase chain-reaction.
Many carbohydrates that are not derived from genetically modified organisms
(GMOs) can also be used to develop a non-GM caramel color.
Phosphoric acid, used in cola and many soft drinks to
acidify their taste and to create tingling sensations, is associated with
calcium loss, thus, lowering bone density in epidemiological studies. The
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study, which using
dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) provided a sound evidence that drinking
cola lowers bone density. A total of 1672 women and 1148 men were studied
between 1996 and 2001. Using a food frequency questionnaire including the
number of servings of cola and other carbonated beverages in diet, and
differentiating between regular, caffeine-free, and diet drinks, the study
developed significant statistics showing that women who consume cola daily have
lower bone density. Although, total phosphorus intake was not significantly
higher in daily cola consumers vs. non-consumers, the calcium-to-phosphorus
ratios were lower.
Caffeine in popular soft drinks (69 mg in a 12-oz. Diet Max
can) is a possible contributor to low bone-density due to the known effect of
caffeine on calciuria (loss of calcium with urine). Consumption of caffeine
containing soft drinks is associated with chronic kidney disease and kidney
stones in a medical research. The preliminary results suggest that caffeinated
soft-drinks consumption may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease.
Studies have shown that regular soft-drink users have a lower intake of
calcium, magnesium, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, and vitamin A. The caffeinated
soft drinks are also criticized for causing physical dependence. Caffeine
stimulates the adrenal gland without providing nourishment, which can lead to
adrenal exhaustion, especially, in children.
Caffeine and its metabolites (paraxanthine, theobromine, and
theophylline) are easily transferred across the placenta, with embryonic
concentrations being just slightly lower than maternal levels. However, the
amount of caffeine that may seem mild to the mother, could be much more
significant for the embryo. It affects the embryo growth and heart development.
Overall, an observation of a study has shown that exposure via dam of placenta
to a single dose of caffeine, which results in circulating levels equivalent to
2 cups of coffee consumption in a human, can induce both acute effects on the
embryo and long-term effects in adulthood. Recent data suggest that caffeine
exposure during early pregnancy is associated with an increased miscarriage
rate.
Benzene, categorized as a known human carcinogen by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, is associated with soft drinks. Although, not
being added to the drinks directly, the compound benzene is formed by a
reaction of two preservatives in soft drinks −ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and
sodium or potassium benzoate in the presence of light and/or heat. Chronic
exposure to benzene is associated with leukemia, aplastic anemia and other
blood diseases. Children may, especially, be sensitive to benzene because their
bone-marrow cells are highly active. Scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration and others have found that some soft drinks sold in the U.S.
contain concentrations of benzene above the U.S. legal limit for drinking
water. Therefore, scientists urge you and local school officials to cease the
sale and marketing of certain soft drinks in public schools until they are
shown to be safe and free of the toxic substance benzene.
Following is a list of soft drinks that contain both
ascorbic acid and sodium or potassium benzoate (thus, potentially, benzene):
Wild Cherry, Fanta Orange, Diet Pepsi, Hawaiian Punch, Mug
Root Beer, Pepsi Vanilla, Sierra Mist, Sunkist, and Tropicana Lemonade, and
others.
On February 15th, Beverage Daily reported that recent tests
had shown that some soft drinks contain benzene at levels "above the legal
limit for water set by the US and Europe." According to Beverage Daily,
independent tests at a laboratory in New York have found benzene levels in a
couple of soft drinks containing two-and-a-half and five times the limit for
drinking water set up by World Health Organization, which is more permissive
than is the U.S. standard. On March 4th, the Times of London reported that just
100 of the 230 soft drinks tested for benzene met the standard for British
water, "with some containing up to eight times the legal limit."
Sodium benzoate, besides of its contribution to the benzene
formation in soft drinks, was found to break down mitochondrial DNA in living
yeast cells. Research published for the British government's Food Standards
Agency in 2007 suggested that sodium benzoate (E211) is linked to hyperactive
behavior and decreased intelligence in children.
If after reading this article you stop drinking soft drinks,
your health will improve significantly, your body weight will drop
significantly, and your mind will become much sharper.By Marta Tereshchenko