Soft Drink Facts
- The Coca Cola Company purchases more sugar than any other company in the world.
- Due to the quantity of refined sugar in soft drinks, they tend to cause a rise in blood sugar levels for a short period of time. The levels then may plummet down causing a severe drop in physical strength and mental alertness.
- Excess dietary phosphorus is fast becoming a medical concern. The ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio is approximately 50/50 in adults. The concern is that soft drinks supply an excess amount of phosphorus, upsetting this ration. This may lead to a calcium deficiency, which should be of special concern to women entering their osteoporosis years.
- The average intake of phosphorus in the U.S. is now about 1500 to 1600mg per day. The recommended daily intake is 800mg. The following is a list of phosphorus content in a few soft drinks:
Coke: 69.0
Pepsi-Cola: 57.2
Diet Cherry Coke: 55.7
Diet Pepsi: 49.3
Dr. Pepper: 44.7
Tab: 44.4
Kool-Aide (lemonade flavor): 31.6
Hires Root Beer: 22.4
Hawaiian Punch (lemonade flavor): 16.7
7-Up: 3.0
Canada Dry Ginger Ale: 3.0
A & W Root Beer: 3.0
- The fizz in soft drinks in most cases is produced by reacting chalk, limestone or bicarbonate of soda with sulfuric acid.
- If the drink does not say natural sources, it probably contains a color or flavoring that is made from coal tars.
- Coca-Cola is consumed 190 million times every 24 hours in more than 80 languages and in over 35 countries.
- The soft drink industry is a 40 billion dollar a year business.
- Soft drinks account for one-quarter of all sugar consumed by Americans.
- A child who consumes four colas per day takes in the equivalent caffeine of two cups of coffee. The carbonic acid and phosphorus content can affect the potency of a number of vitamins.
- Colas that contain NutraSweet may go stale after only three months; look for expiration dates. Drinks may get a bitter taste as the sweetener breaks down.
- A study in Florida showed that people who drank a large number of Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke had problems with recurrent kidney stones probably from the phosphoric acid used in the carbonation process. Persons with stone problems should avoid these drinks. Read the list of ingredients, many sodas use the same carbonating agent.
- Soda pop is the beverage of choice over milk and juice in children across the United States, mainly due to baby bottles being produced that look like 7-Up, Pepsi and Coke containers.
- Americans spend three times the dollars on soft drinks than they do on milk, six times more on alcohol.
- Diet sodas may still be high in sodium.
- Soft drinks may react with certain antacids, leading to constipation, headaches and even vomiting.
- We have increased our soft drink consumption 200 percent since the 1950's.
- The efficiency of the certain antibiotics can be reduced by consuming soft drinks.
- We consume 500 bottles or cans of soft drinks per person per year.
- Millions of Americans are now being called "colaholics" due to their addiction to the cola beverages.
- Withdrawal symptoms usually occur from caffeine highs when cola drinks are given up. These include headaches, nervousness, diarrhea and constipation.
- Colas have a higher physiological dependence than smoking and alcohol and is harder to give up.
- Sugar supplies 99 percent of the 144 calories in a 12 ounce Coke.
- Forty percent of one to two year olds drink an average of 9 ounces of soft drinks per day.
- Teenagers now prefer soft drinks over milk. Ten percent of these soft drinks are consumed at breakfast.
- Calcium levels are marginal in teenagers due to their soft drink consumption.
- The acid in soft drinks can erode tooth enamel.
- The average level of caffeine in colas is 26.5mg per cola.
See also:
Can Diet Soda Cause Weight Gain?
Carbonation -- Carbonation is beneficial as it keeps soft drinks safe from bacteria and microbes.
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