The health effects of drinking soda - quotes from the experts

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The health effects of drinking soda - quotes from the experts JoAnn Guest

Apr 07, 2005 11:21 PDT

http://www.newstarget.com/004416.html

 

This is a compilation of quotes about the destructive health effects of

soft drinks from some of the leading authors on health, nutrition and

junk food. This full list, and much more information, is included in The

Five Soft Drink Monsters downloadable ebook.

 

Michael Murray ND and Joseph Pizzorno ND

Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised Second Edition

 

" The allergenicity of penicillin in the general population is thought to

be at least ten percent. Nearly 25 percent of these individuals will

display hives, angioedema, or anaphylaxis upon ingestion of penicillin….

hives and anaphylactic symptoms have been traced to penicillin in milk,

soft drinks, and frozen dinners. "

 

 

 

" Many general dietary factors have been suggested as a cause of

osteoporosis, including: low calcium-high phosphorus intake,

high-protein diet, high-acid-ash diet, high salt intake, and trace

mineral deficiencies. It appears that increased soft drink consumption

is a major factor that contributes to osteoporosis. A deficiency of

vitamin K leads to impaired mineralization of bone. Boron deficiency may

contribute greatly to osteoporosis as well as to menopausal symptoms. "

 

" Soft drinks have long been suspected of leading to lower calcium levels

and higher phosphate levels in the blood. When phosphate levels are high

and calcium levels are low, calcium is pulled out of the bones. The

phosphate content of soft drinks like Coca -Cola and Pepsi is very high,

and they contain virtually no calcium. "

 

" The United States ranks first among countries in soft drink

consumption. The per-capita consumption of soft drinks is in excess of

150 quarts per year, or about three quarts per week. "

 

" Soft drink consumption in children poses a significant risk factor for

impaired calcification of growing bones. "

 

" Of the fifty-seven children who had low blood calcium levels,

thirty-eight (66.7 percent) drank more than four bottles (12 to 16

ounces per bottle) of soft drinks per week, but only forty-eight (28

percent) of the 171 children with normal serum calcium levels consumed

as much soft drink … These results more than support the contention that

soft drink consumption leads to lower calcium levels in children. This

situation that ultimately leads to poor bone mineralization, which

explains the greater risk of broken bones in children who consume soft

drinks. "

 

" Soft drink consumption may be a major factor for osteoporosis as they

are high in phosphates but contain virtually no calcium. This leads to

lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in the blood. The

United States ranks first among countries for soft drink consumption

with a per capita consumption of approximately 15 ounces a day. "

 

James A Howenstine M.D.

A Physician's Guide to Natural Health Products That Work

 

" In an interesting experiment the sugar from one soft drink was able to

damage the white blood cells' ability to ingest and kill gonococcal

bacteria for seven hours. "

 

" Soft drinks also contain large quantities of phosphorus, which when

excreted pulls calcium out of the bones. Heavy users of soft drinks will

have osteoporosis along with their damaged arteries. "

 

James Duke PhD

The Green Pharmacy : The Ultimate Compendium Of Natural Remedies From

The World's Foremost Authority On Healing Herbs

 

" And watch out for cola soft drinks, which are very high in

bone-dissolving phosphorus. "

 

Marion Nestle

Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition (see related

ebook on nutrition) and Health (California Studies in Food and Culture)

 

" Soft drinks are the single greatest source of caffeine in children's

diets; a 12-ounce can of cola contains about 45 milligrams but the

amounts in more potent soft drinks can exceed 100 milligrams— a level

approaching that found in coffee. "

 

" Soft drinks have replaced milk in the diets of many American children

as well as adults. School purchases reflect such trends. From 1985 to

1997, school districts decreased the amounts of milk they bought by

nearly 30% and increased their purchases of carbonated sodas. "

 

" The relationship between soft drink consumption and body weight is so

strong that researchers calculate that for each additional soda

consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times. "

 

" Adolescents who consume soft drinks display a risk of bone fractures

three to four-fold higher than those who do not. "

 

" Sugar and acid in soft drinks so easily dissolve tooth enamel. "

 

" Americans drink 13.15 billion gallons of carbonated drinks every year. "

 

 

William Duffy

The doctor speaking in these dialogs is, Dr. McCay, the nutritionist at

the Naval Medical Research Institute.

 

" I was amazed to learn, " he testified, " that the beverage contained

substantial amounts of phosphoric acid. . . . At the Naval Medical

Research Institute, we put human teeth in a cola beverage and found they

softened and started to dissolve within a short period… The acidity of

cola beverages ... is about the same as vinegar. The sugar content masks

the acidity, and children little realize they are drinking this strange

mixture of phosphoric acid, sugar, caffeine, coloring, and flavoring

matter. "

 

Carol Simontacchi

The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and

Harming Our Children

 

" One liter of an aspartame-sweetened beverage can produce about

fifty-six milligrams of methanol. When several of these beverages are

consumed in a short period of time (one day, perhaps), as much as two

hundred fifty milligrams of methanol are dumped into the bloodstream, or

thirty-two times the EPA limit. "

 

" What may happen, in the face of day-to-day, continuously high levels of

sodium in the diet and the bloodstream, is that we experience a type of

acute hypernatremia—not enough to kill us or cause the myelin sheath to

lose its integrity, but enough to keep our sodium potassium pump

slightly dysregulated and throw off the electrical system of the brain….

Americans drink soft drinks that are often loaded with more sodium and

which further unbalance the mineral stores. "

 

Greg Critser

Fat Land : How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World

 

" A joint study by Harvard University and Boston Children's Hospital

researchers in February 2001 concluded that such excess liquid calories

inhibited the ability of older children to compensate at mealtime,

leading to caloric imbalance and, in time, obesity. "

 

" One extra soft drink a day gave a child a 60 percent greater chance of

becoming obese. One could even link specific amounts of soda to specific

amounts of weight gain. Each daily drink added .18 points to a child's

body mass index (BMI). This, the researchers noted, was regardless of

what else they ate or how much they exercised. " Consumption of sugar

[high fructose corn syrup]-sweetened drinks, " they concluded, " is

associated with obesity in children. "

 

Samuel S. Epstein MD

The Safe Shopper's Bible : A Consumer's Guide to Nontoxic Household

Products

 

" Saccharin is a 100-year-old non-nutritive, non-caloric sweetening

agent… its use has exploded over the last twenty years as a staple of

the diet food and drink craze. Its major current consumption is in diet

pop by teenagers, and not by diabetics and the obese. The public now

firmly believes that foods containing saccharin are effective in weight

control, and has been persuaded by the soft drink industry (through the

Calorie Control Council) that these benefits outweigh any possible

health risks. "

 

" More than a dozen animal tests over the last thirty years have

demonstrated the carcinogenic effects of saccharin in the bladder and

other sites, particularly female reproductive organs, and in some

instances at doses as low as the equivalent of one to two bottles of

diet pop daily. "

 

" The public board of inquiry concluded that experimental data " ’…do not

rule out an oncogenic effect of aspartame, and that, to the contrary,

they appear to suggest the possibility that aspartame, at least when

administered in the 'huge' quantities employed in the studies, may

contribute to the development of brain tumors.’ " Until these

controversial findings on brain cancer in experimental animals have been

resolved, use this product sparingly, if at all. "

 

" PET bottling and packaging: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used

extensively in soft drink containers. PET bottles can release small

amounts of dimethyl terephthalate into foods and beverages. Although the

National Cancer Institute claims that dimethyl terephthalate is

noncarcinogenic, these results have been questioned. Some experts

believe this compound to be carcinogenic. "

 

Neal Barnard MD

Foods That Cause You to Lose Weight: : The Negative Calorie Effect

 

" Another advantage of avoiding sodas is that you will avoid the caffeine

that is in many of them. Caffeine is a weak diuretic that causes calcium

loss via the kidneys. "

 

Dr. Earl Mindell

Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible

 

" Recent research has linked soft drinks with childhood obesity— and an

estimated 200 school districts nationwide have contracts with soft drink

companies that give them exclusive rights to sell their products in

schools. "

 

" Saccharin is a noncaloric petroleum derivative estimated to be three

hundred to five hundred times sweeter than sugar… It's used in diet soft

drinks… Studies done in the 1970s linked saccharin ingestion to bladder

cancer in laboratory animals "

 

" Children who drink large quantities of diet sodas containing aspartame

are particularly vulnerable to its dangerous side effects. "

 

" Aspartame contains methyl or wood alcohol, which can affect fetal brain

development. "

 

" Twenty-one percent of the sugar in the American diet comes from soft

drinks! That's more than just an unhealthy consumption of empty

calories. It is a dangerous overload of caffeine and potentially

hazardous, nutrient-depleting additives. "

 

" Soft drinks contain large amounts of phosphorus, which can throw off

the body's calcium/phosphorus ratio (twice as much calcium as

phosphorus), decreasing calcium as well as reducing your body's ability

to use it. "

 

" For anyone over age 40, soft drinks can be especially hazardous because

the kidneys are less able to excrete excess phosphorus, causing

depletion of vital calcium. "

 

" Heavy soft drink consumption can interfere with your body's

metabolization of iron and diminish nerve impulse transmission. "

 

" Cola drinks can interact adversely with antacids, possibly causing

constipation, calcium loss, hypertension, nausea, vomiting, headaches,

and kidney damage. "

 

" Soft drinks can decrease the antibacterial action of penicillin and

ampicillin. "

 

" Diet sodas that are low in calories are high in sodium. Too much salt

in the diet may cause more calcium to be excreted in the urine and

increase the risk of osteoporosis. "

 

" Excessive consumption of soft drinks, which are high in phosphorus, can

also deplete you of calcium and increase your chances of osteoporosis. "

 

Jean Carper

Food: Your Miracle Medicine : How Food Can Prevent and Cure over 100

Symptoms and Problems

 

" Tests at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine by Roland R.

Griffiths, MD, show caffeine withdrawal can strike people who drink a

single cup of strongly brewed coffee or drink caffeinated soft drinks

everyday. Further, Dr. Griffiths discovered that caffeine-withdrawal

symptoms include not only headache, but also fatigue, mild depression,

muscle pain and stiffness, flu-like feelings, nausea and vomiting. "

 

" Those consuming at least one cup of a caffeine-containing beverage per

day, such as coffee, tea or soft drinks, were more prone to PMS. And the

more caffeine they consumed, the more severe their PMS symptoms. "

 

Elson M Haas MD

The Detox Diet: A How-To & When-To Guide for Cleansing the Body

 

" Phosphorus is found in most foods but soda pops, diet pops… contain

especially high amounts. The ideal dietary phosphorus-calcium ratio is

about 1:1. The ratio in the average American diet is often greater than

2:1 and sometimes even 4:1 or 5:1. At those levels, excess calcium is

removed from bone and eliminated, blood levels are reduced, and there is

bone demineralization. A diet high in phosphorus and low in calcium has

been shown to cause bone loss and increase tissue calcification. "

 

" Tooth loss, periodontal disease, and gingivitis can be problems,

especially with a high phosphorus intake, particularly from soft drinks.

All kinds of bone problems can occur with prolonged calcium deficiency,

which causes a decrease in bone mass. Rickets in children, osteomalacia

(decreased bone calcium) in adults, and osteoporosis (porous and fragile

bones) can occur when calcium is withdrawn from bones faster than it is

deposited. Fractures are more common with osteoporosis—almost eight

million yearly in the United States are related to this prevalent

nutritional deficiency disease "

 

" High dietary phosphorus, as is found in a diet with meats, soft drinks,

and other convenience foods, can readily affect calcium metabolism.

Potential calcium deficiency symptoms may be more likely when the

phosphorus intake is very high. A low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in the

diet increases the incidence of hypertension and the risk of

colon-rectal cancer. "

 

Barnet Meltzer MD

Food Swings: Make the Life-Changing Connection Between the Foods You Eat

and Your Emotional Health and Well-Being

 

" But soft drinks are far from soft. High in phosphorous and phosphoric

acid, they infiltrate bodily fluids and corrode stomach linings, upset

the alkaline-acid balance of the kidneys, and eat away at your liver

like Hannibal Lecter. Soft drinks also contain hidden caffeine, refined

sugar, and artificial chemicals. "

 

Ralph T Golan ND

Optimal Wellness

 

" Avoid processed foods and cola soft drinks; their phosphates can also

cause calcium loss and excretion. "

 

Dr. Gary Null

" Natural Living " radio show

Gary Null's Power Aging

 

" A study on the relationship between caffeine and fertility found that…

just one caffeinated soft drink per day was associated with a reduced

monthly chance of conception of 50 percent. "

 

" It should be noted here that soft drinks are the number one source of

phosphorus in the American diet today… According to Dr. Steenblock,

excess phosphorus is one of the major contributing factors to the

development of osteoarthritis. "

 

James A May

United American Industries Inc.

 

" Absorption in primates is hastened considerably if the methanol is

ingested as free methanol as it occurs in soft drinks after the

decomposition of aspartame during storage or in other foods after being

heated. Regardless of whether the aspartame-derived methanol exists in

food in its free form or still esterified to phenylalanine, 10 percent

of the weight of aspartame intake of an individual will be absorbed by

the bloodstream as methanol within hours after consumption. "

 

Marcia Zimmerman CN

The A.D.D. Nutrition Solution : A Drug-Free 30 Day Plan

 

" Sodium benzoate Sodium benzoate is used as a preservative (microbial

control) in foods, including soft drinks, fruit juices, margarine,

confections, pickles, and jams.

 

Sodium preservatives add sodium to the diet and reduce the availability

of potassium. Some reported reactions to sodium benzoate include

recurring urticaria (rash), asthma, and eczema. "

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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