Harmful effects

The Harmful Effects of Soft Drinks
There is a growing concern in the medical and scientific communities about the harmful effects associated with carbonated soft drinks. Soft drinks have been around for over a hundred years, but many of their deleterious heath effects have not been studied or known. This paper will discuss the numerous harmful effects and the problems that are associated with soft drinks
The National Soft Drink Association says that the average American consumes over six hundred twelve-ounce servings per year. Children consume many more carbonated beverages than adults. The average young male between the ages of twelve and twenty-nine consumes over 160 gallons of soft drinks a year. Studies show that males of this age group are the largest consumers of soft drinks. Many of these males receive over ten percent of their total daily calories from soft drinks. One of the reasons for the emergence of so many soft drink related problems is the sheer number of carbonated beverages that are consumed.
Fifty years ago the average serving size for a soft drink was a six-ounce bottle. Today, soft drinks are sold in twenty ounce bottles and are consumed in much larger amounts courtesy of the large size of soda fountain drinks available at most stores and restaurants. This increase in consumption of soft drink is not a surprise because soft drink manufacturers have spent billions of dollars in advertising to attract more consumers and to increase consumption of their products. Scientific studies have shown how as few as one or two soft drinks a day can increase one’s risk for numerous health problems. Some of these health problems are obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, osteoporosis, nutritional deficiencies, heart disease, and many neurological disorders.
It is generally understood that soft drinks, even though they contain a large number of calories, have little nutritional benefit and are known as “empty calories”. Soft drinks are composed mostly of filtered water with diet colas containing close to a hundred percent water. Most of the calories in soft drinks are from refined sugars, and there are no other nutritionally beneficial components in soft drinks. Dr. Charles Best, the discoverer of insulin, claims that teenagers who consume too many soft drinks have cirrhosis of the liver similar to what chronic alcoholics have.1 There is no cure for cirrhosis of the liver except to receive a new liver through a transplant.
A common problem that is associated with consumption of a large number of soft drinks is the increased acid levels throughout the body. All soft drinks are very acidic, but dark colas such as Coke and Pepsi are much more acidic. William Frazier states, “in order to neutralize a glass of cola, it takes 32 glasses of high pH alkaline water.”1 Many doctors believe that there is a correlation between acids increasing the risk of disease. This is manifested in an especially painful way when one gets gastronomic distress (GI). Gastronomic distress is characterized by increased stomach acid levels. Gastronomic distress causes the inflammation of the stomach and erosion of the stomach lining. This is characterized as a painful stomachache. These symptoms are caused by caffeine and acids found in soft dinks such as: acetic, fumaric, gluconic and phosphoric acids. The combination and strength of these acids are so strong that when a drain is clogged a plumber will often use a soft drink, or if a car battery is corroding one can use a soft drink to dissolve the corrosion. The stomach maintains a very delicate acid-alkaline balance that can be set out of balance by the consumption to a large number of soft drinks, which create a constant acid state. Prolonged increased acid levels will cause erosion of the gastric lining, which is very painful and disrupts proper digestion. Also, the phosphorous that is found in the fizz and bubbles emitted from soft drinks fights with hydrochloric acid in the stomach and causes the stomach to be ineffective. When the stomach can’t digest food, the person will have indigestion, gassiness, or bloating. The carbon dioxide that is emitted in the fizz is consumed when a person drinks a soft drink. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that humans excrete and can be harmful when digested. Dr. Francisco Contraries, a cancer researcher, believes that, “cancer is like a plant cell; it can’t live in an oxygen rich environment.”1 Soft drinks deplete the amount of oxygen in the human body thus increasing the risk for cancer.
A very serious effect of soft drinks on people’s health is the correlation between soft drink consumption and the increased risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis. The large amounts of sugar, bubbles caused by carbon dioxide, and phosphoric acid that are found in soft drinks remove nutritious minerals from bones allowing the bones to become weak and increasing the risk for them to break. This is done by the phosphoric acid disrupting the calcium-phosphorous ratio, which dissolves calcium from the bones. Many people consume soft drinks instead of necessary beverages like milk, so their bodies are not receiving enough nutrients, especially calcium. This deficiency in calcium intake and increased consumption of soft drinks is a greater problem for women than for men. The discrepancy between genders is because men traditionally eat more and consume more milk than their female counter parts, so soft drinks do not have as profound of an effect on men. These results were proven in a 1994 issue of the “Journal of Adolescent Health” when a study concluded, “the high consumption of carbonated beverages and the declining consumption of milk are of great public health significance for girls and women, because of their proness to osteoporosis in later life”2. Another study of high school girls published in a 2000 issue of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine showed a correlation between soft drink consumption and bone breaks. The study concluded that, “national concern and alarm about the health impact of carbonated beverage consumption on teenaged girls is supported by the finding of this study”2.
Most carbonated beverages contain caffeine, which is considered to be a mild drug and can have harmful effects, especially on children. Soft drinks are the most consumed caffeine-containing beverage in America. Caffeine is a drug that acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system. Large amounts of caffeine consumption can cause diseases and disorders such as insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, irritability, and deviations from the normal heart rate. Caffeine is an addictive subastance, which causes consumers to need more caffeine. A major concern about caffeine is that it increases the excretion of calcium in urine, which increases the risk for osteoporosis in heavy caffeine consumers. Some preliminary studies show that caffeine increases the risk of birth defects.
Many soft drinks contain caramel coloring to allow them to have their dark appearance. The chemical polyethylene glycol is used to achieve this dark color. Glycol is used in antifreeze. Scientists are concerned that this caramel coloring may be a carcinogen.
Dental cavities are often associated with carbonated beverage. This association is important because the amount of sugars that are consumed is important in forming caries, which is when a cavity effects only the enamel, the outer protective layer of a tooth. Caries are caused by the bacteria mutans streptocci, which is a part of dental plaque. The bacteria attach to teeth and produce high amounts of acid from sugars and other types of acid.
Lactobacillus and actinomyces viscosus are two other kinds of bacteria that adversely affect teeth and survive well in very acidic environments. The amount of sucrose that is consumed in a diet propagates tooth decay by changing the nature and thickness of plaque. Glucose and fructose increase the thickness of plaque as it forms into a thick gel from a liquid. The gel blocks the movement of saliva and forms an acid environment that erodes the tooth surface. This thick plaque formation is more common in pits where it is easier for the bacteria to keep the saliva out. The more often one eats the greater risk the person has for caries. This is because sugars in food are broken down to fulfill the metabolic needs of the different harmful bacteria. The more this happens the more difficult it is for saliva to buffer all of the acids present.
The acids that are not buffered dissolve the apatitle crystals of a tooth’s surface; this process is called demineralization. Demineralization is characterized by a thick layer of plaque blanketing teeth, dropping to a low pH for several hours removing the calcium nutrients of the tooth. Teeth can be mineralized by calcium, fluoride and phosphate, which are all contained in saliva. Carries are formed when the process of demineralization occurs more often than the process of remineralization. Enamel, which is composed of cementum and dentin, naturally protects teeth. Dentin is a highly substituted calcium phosphate salt, which is also called apatite. Carbonate makes the apatite very soluble but fluoride helps to strengthen the apatite. Cycles of demineralization and remineralization of teeth allows for the teeth to contain more fluoride, which makes the teeth stronger3.
Carbonated beverages are very popular and are used often by people around the world. The important thing to remember is that over consumption of soft drinks should be avoided because of their numerous harmful effects such as as: obesity, osteoporosis, nutritional deficiencies, and tooth decay. It is important to be aware of the harmful effects of such deleterious beverages.