Pop Soda: A Drink for Slow Motion Suicide ?

Imagine this. You see a friend orders an extra large hamburger, a king-size cup of French fries, and a jumbo hotdog.
"And just a small can of soda pop, please, "she stresses. " I'm on a diet."

You'd think your friend is nuts, right? Well, hold your judgment for a sec till you consider this one:



If you've watched world news on TV recently, then you've probably known by now about melamine-tainted food scandal. The world watched in horror and disbelief with the staggering number of babies poisoned with melamine-tainted milk from China.

And the death toll is rising till this day.

So what exactly is this controversial melamine? According to experts, melamine is a toxic industrial chemical rich in nitrogen. The word "toxic" says it all.

With melamine scare everywhere, neighboring countries frantically scrambled for a thorough testing of all China -produced milk and milk-related products. Even western nations expressed alarm. They enforced a recall and a swift ban of all these questionable milk and milk products.

In a health-obsessed world, this protective measure comes as no surprise.


Yet an insidious and many times far toxic than melamine-tainted product has been around with us for decades. Was there ever a recall on it? No. It comes with fancy wrapping, fills the supermarket shelves and long-touted by its manufacturers as healthy. We adults patronize it. In fact, we stock our refrigerators with it for our teens and kids.


And here’s the scary part.
It causes cancer. And we have it straight from the FDA. They conducted tests on it and found high levels of cancer-causing benzene.
As published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it leads to brittle bones.
It harms the kidneys and leads to cirrhosis of the liver.
It leads to birth defects.
It is responsible for other health damaging effects.


Basing on these research and studies, one would think that a severe health advisory and massive recall would immediately be in order.

But, hold your breath now. There never was, is, or ever will be any health alert or recall against this consumer product.

And we are talking about cola drinks.


Here are the facts:
a.) A study by Tufts University researchers revealed that cola drinks promotes rapid degeneration of bones. In plain words, cola drinks causes osteoporosis.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, examined 2,500 men and women and found that regardless of age and calcium intake, the women who regularly drank cola experienced loss of bone mineral density.

b.) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanded reformulation after tests found some cola drinks contaminated with benzene above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 10 parts per billion limit for benzene in drinking water.

Benzene has long been established as a carcinogen. Meaning, it causes cancer.

c.) Cola drinks could lead to allergies. Dr. George M. Halpem, Division of Allergy at the University of California Davis School of Medicine says that diet soft drinks may cause allergies.

The potential problem may be due to toxicity because of the increase in consumption of diet drinks. Acute or chronic hives may be symptoms caused by this low-calorie, artificial sweetener.

d.) Loss of teeth. Dr. Clive McCay, working at the Naval Research Institute, placed extracted human teeth in cola drinks.

Within two days, the teeth became soft, and the enamel surface lost much of its calcium. Rats, well-fed but given nothing to drink except cola beverages, after six months had their molar teeth dissolved down to the gum line.



e.) Women who drank one can of cola a day increase their high blood pressure risk by 9% in the first Nurses Health Study and by 13% in the second Nurses Health Study.

f.) Here’s another one. In making the public announcement in last September of caffeine's possible dangers to unborn children, FDA commissioner Dr. Jere E. Goyan urged prudence by pregnant women in the use of caffeine ( cola drinks have caffeine) products.

"So while further evidence is being gathered on the possible relationship between caffeine and birth defects, a prudent and protective mother-to-be will want to put caffeine on her list of unnecessary substances which she should avoid," Goyan advised.

Melamine-tainted milk and milk products affect infants. On the other hand, cola drinks affect not only infants but fetuses, kids, teens, adults, senior citizens—the whole spectrum of consumers.

But is there ever a recall against these cola drinks? No.

I think it’s high time that we tone down our over-reactions and hypocritical stance against these melamine-tainted products and focus on the far-reaching, damaging effects of colas and pop sodas.


Until we do, we strikingly resemble a friend who gulps down extra-large hamburger, a king-size cup of French fries, one jumbo hotdog, and a small, small glass of drink with it.
Because, as she stresses, she’s on a diet.

Is she, really?