Soft Drinks, Colas

Soft Drinks, Colas

Avoid Colas - In one study, females who were frequent cola drinkers--no matter what their age or how much milk they drank--had lower bone density than noncola drinkers. A good alternative is non-caffeinated herb teas. --adapted from Prevention Sept. 2009.

Suzanne

Acids in Drinks also Damage Teeth

Many remember the old science experiment where a teacher would put a tooth in a bottle of cola to display the perils of sugar; the tooth would disappear in a few days.

Researchers have now demonstrated that non-colas, canned iced teas and even diet drinks also can weaken and erode tooth enamel. As a result, the average person, who washes down two 12-ounce cans of soft drink every day, is unwittingly making his or her teeth more vulnerable to cavities.

Sugar--the typical 12-ounce can of sofa contains 10 teaspoons--isn't the only culprit. The malic, tartaric, citric and phosphoric acids that impart a nice, tart flavor are particularly corrosive to the tooth's protective enamel coating.

"The sugar does cause problems, but it's nowhere near as injurious as the acids," according to lead author of the research team, J. Anthony von Fraunhofer, a professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. These acids, he notes draw calcium out of tooth enamel.

He and a colleague exposed dental enamel from healthy extracted teeth to a variety of popular drinks for 14 days. In a surprise finding, some artifically sweetened drinks were more damaging than their sucrose- or fructose-sweetened counterparts. Non-colas were worse than colas.

"It was astonishing to me how bad the non-colas were," Von Fraunhofer said. Sodas and flavored teas were especially tough on tooth enamel. --This study was published in the July/August 2004 issue of General Dentistry, the Journal of the Academy of General Dentistry.

"I call soda pop the liquid chain saw. It cuts through teeth. And it's not just the sugar--it's the acid." --Chris Kammer, DDS. --Reader's Digest, July 2009.

Suzanne

Soft Drinks and Esophageal Cancer

Reutershealth.com published a summary of a study which found that wherever carbonated drink consumption goes up in the world, the rates of esophageal cancer also rises. This does not equal proof that these drinks cause esophageal cancer, but there is a biological basis for such suspicion because the carbon dioxide in the soft drinks will distend the stomach, raising the risk of acid reflux back into the esophagus, which has already been shown to cause esophageal cancer in humans. Thus there is a fairly high probability that the soft drinks may indeed be linked to rising rates of esophageal cancer seen in the U.S. and elsewhere. --This info was posted on another web site.

Suzanne

More Reasons to Ditch Sodas

We all know that sodas are really not good for us. Here are more motivators to quit.

* Women drinking more than one daily sugared soda were 85% more likely to get type 2 diabetes than those averaging less than one, according to Harvard experts.

* Sugar-laden soft drinks really do rot teeth, say researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore, Dental School. Their studies showed that malic and tartaric acids in noncola drinks damaged dental enamel.

* Caffeine, carbonation, and sugar substitutes can irritate the bladder, and keep you running to the bathroom, according to pelvic disorders specialists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. --adapted from Prevention, magazine, November 2004.

Suzanne

More than one soda a day? Amazing what has changed!

When I was growing up, having a soda was a royal treat. Maybe once a semester.

Maybe the treat was not having them very often.
Never, now.

Sports Drinks Erode Teeth

Sports beverages, energy drinks, and other flavored beverages may do far more damage to your teeth than other soft drinks. Researchers at the University of Maryland exposed healthy molars to various flavored drinks for 2 continuous weeks.

Beverages such as KMK, Red Bull, Gatorade, and Powerade caused up to 11 times more erosion of tooth enamel than even the cola drinks.

Perhaps it's a good idea to limit your intake of those drinks, as well as bottled lemonade, which also yielded high damage.

Which is the most harmful to your teeth? KMX headed the list, followed by Snapple Classic Lemonade, Red Bull, Gatorade (lemon-lime), Powerade, Nantucket Nectars (Half + Half), Arizona Iced Tea, and Coca-Cola. Source: Consumer Reports, OnHealth, August 2005.

Suzanne

Sugary Soft Drinks Linked to Pancreatic Cancer

A 14-year study of 60,000 people in Singapore found that those who consume 2 or more sweetened soft drinks per week have an 87% higher risk of pancreatic cancer.

Published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, the study was led by Maark Pereira of the University of Minnesota who said, "The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth."

Nearly 38,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the U.S. each year, and over 34,000 die from the disease yearly. This research points to what may be the common culprit of all those preventable deaths: Sugary soft drink consumption.

Poison in a can

NaturalNews has warned readers for years about the dangers of consuming soft drinks. The sweetener used in most beverages--high-fructose corn syrup--is linked to both diabetes and obesity. The phosphoric acid found in these beverages is highly acidic, stripping minerals from bones and promoting osteoporosis. At the same time, soft drinks can cause kidney stones, as well.

For those who choose diet sodas, the health risks may be even worse: Aspartame causes neurologican side effects that include blindness, headaches and impaired cognitive function.

The beverage industry, of course, denies any links between soda consumption and negative health effects. It wants consumers to naively believe that liquid sugar, phosphoric acid and pressurized carbon dioxide are all good for you!

But experience tells us otherwise....So many of those who have been drinking sodas for many years are suffering from obesity, diabetes, kidney stones and perhaps even pancreatic cancer.
--adapted from NaturalNews.com by Mike Adams.

Suzanne

Your Body within 1 Hour of Drinking Soda

(This is from another web site).


I have to admit, as a former teacher, I used to cringe when I saw the amounts of soda my students could put away in a day. We may as well have installed a soda pop fountain instead of the water fountain. Later, as I worked with parents of infants, I almost choked on a bite of lunch one day to see a baby's bottle filled with Coke. Since that memorable day, I have met others who regularly purchase Pepsi for their tots and think nothing of it when they stock the fridge with Mt. Dew.


One thing I know for sure: soda in no way benefits your baby, your child (or you!)


According to the Nutrition Research Center, this is what happens to your body within one hour of drinking a can of soda:


-10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system, which is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake. You'd normally vomit from such an intake, but the phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

-20 minutes: Your blood sugar skyrockets. Your pancreas attempts to maximize insulin production in order to turn high levels of sugar into fat.

-40 minutes: As your body finishes absorbing the caffeine, your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your liver pumps more sugar into the bloodstream. Adenosine receptors in your brain are blocked preventing you from feeling how tired you may actually be.

-45 minutes: Your body increases dopamine production, causing you to feel pleasure and adding to the addictiveness of the beverage. This physical neuro response works the same way as it would if we were consuming heroin.

<60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, which boosts your metabolism a bit further. High doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners compound this effect, increasing the urinary excretion of calcium. The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (You have to GO!) Your body will eliminate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was otherwise heading to your bones. And you will also flush out the sodium, electrolytes and water. Your body has eliminated the water that was in the soda. And in the process it was infused with nutrients and minerals your body would have otherwise used to hydrate your system or build body cells, bones, teeth.

>60 minutes: The sugar crash begins. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You start feeling like nonsense. Time to grab another? --(From another web site).

Suzanne

Soda consumption linked to teen violence, study finds

by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) A new study has found that teenagers who consume high amounts of sugary soda appear to be more prone towards violence than teenagers who consume less or no sugary soda. The more soda a teenager consumes, in other words, the more likely he or she is to show violent aggression towards classmates, a significant other, and even family members.

David Hemenway, a professor at Harvard University's School of Public, and his colleagues instructed a group of 1,878 public school students from inner-city Boston to fill out questionnaires about how much soda they had consumed in the previous seven days. The questionnaires also asked the students how often they carried weapons, consumed alcohol, smoked, and had a violent interaction with another person.

The students, who ranged in age between 14 and 18, also answered other background questions about how often they ate meals with their families, and their race. After compiling the data and accounting for other outside factors, the research team discovered that soda intake was directly proportional to violence levels.

"What we found was that there was a strong relationship between how many soft drinks that these inner-city kids consumed and how violent they were, not only in violence against peers but also violence in dating relationships, against siblings," said Hemenway. "It was shocking to us when we saw how clear the relationship was."

The results showed that students who drank one or no cans of sugary soda a week were nearly half as likely as students who drank 14 cans a week to carry a gun or knife to school. The one or no soda group was also about half as likely to commit violence against a partner, or show violent aggression against peers, compared to the high-consumption group.

"We don't know why (there is a strong association)," added Hemenway. "There may be some causal effect but it's also certainly plausible that this is just a marker for other problems -- that kids who are violent for whatever reason, they tend to smoke more, they tend to drink more alcohol and they tend to maybe drink more soft drinks. We just don't know."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.ph...

Suzanne

Pepsi's lawyers say Mountain Dew can dissolve a mouse

by Tara Green

(NaturalNews) While drinking Mountain Dew, have you ever seen (or perhaps felt on your tongue) a thick, jelly-like substance? Maybe you assumed the ingredients in the soda had gelled. According to Mountain Dew manufacturer Pepsi, you may have been ingesting some extra protein with your beverage in the form of a liquified rodent.

Lawsuit results in unusual defense

An Illinois man is suing Pepsi, claiming he found a mouse in his can of Mountain Dew. Ronald Bell of Edwardsville, a small town near St. Louis, alleges there was a mouse in a can of soda he purchased and drank in 2009. Bell says he spit out the mouse and called the company to complain. At the soda manufacturer's request, he sent them the mouse corpse. Pepsi had a veterinary pathologist examine the body. Their scientific expert found the rodent could not have been in the can since the soda case was sealed in August 2008, and its body would have dissolved as a result of the acid in the soda.

Bell says that Pepsi destroyed the evidence in the case and is seeking judgment. Pepsi's legal team has moved to dismiss the case. Bell's suit initially also involved the owners of the convenience store chain where he purchased the beverage, but those defendants have been dropped from the case and an amended suit was filed. The trial was set to begin in late 2011; however a Madison County Circuit Court judge granted Pepsi another month to argue for dismissal.

Quench your thirst with some chemicals

NaturalNews has reported many times in the past on the health dangers of soda, including the fact that Mountain Dew and other fruit-flavored beverages contain a flame retardant chemical (http://www.naturalnews.com/034448_brominated_vegetable_oil_soft_drinks_chemical.html). The bright green color of this soda obviously derives from food colorings, many of which also have negative health consequences. Like many sodas, Mountain Dew derives its fizzy quality from phosphoric acid, a substance which health experts have long warned can destroy tooth enamel.

Now it appears that, in order to win a lawsuit, Pepsi has conducted its own animal testing on its products and is putting forth evidence that their soda causes organic tissues, as the legal brief states, to become a "jelly-like substance." One has to wonder whether, in the interest of protecting themselves from similar future lawsuits, their scientific experts put dead mice in containers in each of their beverage products to compare the rates of disintegration.

Let's hope that anyone who thinks drinking Mountain Dew is a relatively harmless dietary indulgence hears about this case and thinks twice before swigging some of the bright green beverage. If a mouse can become jelly over the course of the shelf-life of a can of soda, imagine what it can do to your body, especially if you drink this substance regularly over the course of several years. An early advertising slogan for Mountain Dew, back in the 1960s, was "Ya-Hoo Mountain Dew. It'll tickle you innards." Maybe Pepsi can revive this slogan, changing the word "tickle" to "dissolve." Or perhaps, given the soda's more recent marketing association with extreme sports, they can present mouse-chugging as a "wild" activity to fuel skateboarding achievement.

Sources:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/...arcasses/46868/

http://www.madisonrecord.com/news/240607...untain-dew-case

http://www.madisonrecord.com/news/218815-swig-of-mountain-dew-included-dead-mouse-suit-claims

http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/227856-mt.-dew-mouse-would-be-jelly-like-pepsi-argues

http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/227856-mt.-dew-mouse-would-be-jelly-like-pepsi-argues

http://wiki.name.com/en/Mountain_Dew

http://www.naturalnews.com/033162_food_ingredients_chemicals.html

Suzanne

New Zealand woman's Coca-Cola habit blamed for her death

by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) The Coca-Cola Company is currently embroiled in an investigation involving a New Zealand woman who allegedly died as a result of drinking too much of the company's sugary beverage. According to reports, Natasha Marie Harris had been consuming a steady diet of roughly two gallons a day of Coca-Cola in the years before her untimely death at the young age of 30.

Natasha's overall lifestyle was by no means healthy, as she reportedly ate very little actual food, and smoked about 30 cigarettes every day. But it was her ridiculous Coca-Cola habit that appears to have pushed her over the limit, robbing her body of potassium and eventually leading to liver and heart problems that culminated in a fatal heart attack.

"She drank at least ten liters a day," said Christopher Hodgkinson, Natasha's partner. "The first thing she would do in the morning was have a drink of Coke and the last thing she would do in the day was have a drink of Coke by her bed."

Because the cause of Natasha's death was unclear at the time, New Zealand's inquest court, which handles inexplicable deaths, began an investigation. And what the court uncovered is that Natasha died of cardiac arrhythmia, and had also likely been suffering from hypokalemia, or a severe lack of potassium in the blood.

According to Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, people who drink too much sugary soda are extremely prone to developing hypokalemia. Fructose induced osmotic diarrhea, for instance, which is a side effect of drinking sugary soda, causes the body to lose potassium, as does the massive release of insulin from the pancreas that results from drinking sugary soda.

Additionally, the caffeine in Coca-Cola drives potassium out of the bloodstream and into the cells which, combined with these other effects, is a perfect recipe for potassium deficiency. And in someone like Natasha who had been drinking outrageous amounts of Coca-Cola, the effects were even more potent and deadly.

Natasha was afflicted with all these symptoms and more, as she reportedly vomited several times a week from what appeared to be caffeine toxicity, and also had a severely diseased liver, which is a common side effect of consuming soft drinks. A 2009 study found that drinking just two cans of soda a day, in fact, is enough to cause long-term liver damage (http://www.dailymail.co.uk).

"[High fructose corn syrup] increases the chances of suffering from a fatty liver, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer," said Dr. Nimer Assy, lead author of that earlier study.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

http://www.ktvq.com

Suzanne

Scientific proof that drinking soda makes brains hyperactive

by L.J. Devon, Staff Writer

(NaturalNews) Soda pop consumption is on the rise. Before 1950, the standard soft drink was 6.5 ounces. By 1960, the average serving size jumped to a 12 oz can, and today, 20 oz bottles have become the norm. It's easy to fill up a 44 oz foam cup of soda from any American gas station, and free refills are encouraged at almost every restaurant.

Soft drink industry ads market directly to children, spurring an ADHD epidemic

The soft drink industry, marketing directly to children, spends nearly a half billion dollars aiming ads directly toward youth between the ages of 2 and 17. The marketing is apparently working, as soda fills most family's Wal-Mart shopping carts and home refrigerators.

As soda consumption continues to climb in children, attention and hyperactivity disorders are being diagnosed at alarming rates. According to new statistics released this year by the Centers for Disease Control, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is affecting 11 percent of school aged children, including one in five high school-aged boys.

As diagnosed hyperactivity disorders increase in children, doctors quickly default to drugging them unnecessarily with prescriptions of Ritalin and Adderall. Not dealing with the root problem, these junk medicines lead children to further anxiety, addiction and psychosis as time goes on.

Australian study shows how soda causes hyperactivity in the brain

A new study from Australia shows how sugary beverages increase hyperactivity in the brain. What the researchers found was that soda consumption alters hundreds of proteins in the brain - proteins responsible for healthy cellular function and DNA communication.

In the study, the brains of 24 rats were examined. The study, led by researchers Jane Franklin and Jennifer Cornish from the Macquarie University in Sydney, looked at tissue samples taken from one area of the rats' brains. By the end of the experiment, drastic changes in the levels of nearly 300 different proteins were observed.

During the test, a 10 percent sugar solution was given to the rats for 26 days. This formula is equivalent to one can of soda per day for about a month. A control group was also established and was given water.

After the 26 days, the team examined the rats' orbital frontal cortex - the section of the brain sitting right behind the eyes. Using a specific enzyme, the researchers snipped proteins and peptides from the orbital frontal cortex of the rat brains. Using mass spectrometry, they were able to identify and list specific peptides and proteins.

After identifying 1,373 proteins, they found that 290 were significantly altered in the sugar-fed rats. The rats that were given water showed no signs of altered protein levels. Franklin even mentioned that the various protein changes in the sugar-fed rats were significantly greater than a previous study looking at caffeine's effect on brain protein levels.

Alerting the world about soda consumption and the hyperactivity link

The alarming part of the study is that about half of the altered proteins in the rat brains play an important role in cellular function of the brain, including cellular life span, DNA communication and DNA repair. Likewise, 30 percent of the proteins that were altered play a vital role in regulating conditions like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

Franklin says, "Our research suggests that the long-term consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks in place of water can cause long-lasting changes to behavior and a profound change in the chemistry of the brain."

"Hyperactivity is a physical sign that something unusual is happening in the brain. It is probably a reflection of changes being made to return the system back to its pre-sugar state, after it had adjusted to prolonged sugar consumption."

In conclusion, she stated that sugar exposure can alter many diverse biological processes and can even play a role in neurological disorders. "We can't say from this work that these changes are causing the associated diseases, but it's a warning that we need to look more closely at the link."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

http://www.nytimes.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu

Suzanne

I didn't see anything about what soda is sweetened with today. It is NOT sugar. It is High Fructose Corn Syrup. Can your body really use fructose?

What is your definition of sugar? White table sugar is sucrose. It is a disaccharide with molecule of glucose and one of fructose; it is 50% fructose. High Fructose corn syrup is 55% fructose. They have the same Fructose content. The body runs on glucose. Fructose on the other hand, metabolized by the liver. Its metabolites are like alcohol without the buzz. "Sugar" and HFCS are both bad.

Soda's popularity wanes amid health concerns

by Sandeep Godiyal

(NaturalNews) After decades of being the choice for people who were concerned about consuming too much sugar, diet sodas are seeing their popularity, and sales, diminish rapidly. While the decline started about a decade ago, it has gathered speed in the past few years as information about alarming health concerns becomes available. Instead of diet sodas, many people these days are reaching for water, or juices that they make themselves at home.

Dangerous chemicals abound

Within the past few years, it has come to the attention of consumers that many of their favorite citrus-flavored diet sodas, such as lemon and lemon-lime flavors, contain brominated vegetable oil. Also referred to as BVO, this chemical is used by drink manufacturers, such as PepsiCo, to add weight to their flavorings to keep them from separating to the top of the bottle. The primary use of this chemical, however, is as a flame retardant.

Other additives are added, too

BVO is not the only additive that has consumers concerned about drinking their favorite diet soda. Other additives include aspartame, acesulfame potassium, artificial caffeine, phosphoric acid and more. Many people turned to drinking these fizzy concoctions in order to avoid sugar-laden sodas. Such drinks often bath the teeth in a continuous sugar bath, leading to a tendency of dental problems. Other people turned to diet sodas as a way to enjoy a flavorful drink without adding calories from sugar.

Aspartame: Dangerous chemical

The most commonly used artificial sweetener on the market today, aspartame, is linked to a myriad of health issues that have experts in the field concerned over its long term use. This chemical has been linked to a variety of health issues in humans, ranging from cancer to brain disorders and more. In fact, a University of Washington researcher warned that tests on lab mice revealed that the sweetener left holes in their brains.

Alternatives are available

Consumers do not need to despair, though. There are other, healthy, flavorful options available, either commercially or right in their own homes. With the advent of high-quality blenders and food processors, for example, it is now possible for the amateur home chef to whip up a delicious juice using the freshest organic fruits and vegetables available. This convenient method also enables consumers to add more fruits and vegetables to their diets, which health experts suggest is a key way to help lose weight while also meeting required nutritional needs.

Water is an old friend

Water is a tried and true beverage that refreshes on the hottest day. It does so without any added calories or sweeteners, making it the ideal drink for those people who are anxious to watch their weight. In addition, water is easy to customize to the liking of the individual by adding a splash of fresh lemon juice, for example.

While the news of the ingredients in soda is scary, consumers do have other, more healthful, alternatives that provide them with a wealth of benefits.

Additional sources:

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

Suzanne

Drinking Coca Cola is not a good idea.

But hey!

Coca Cola has a lot of good uses!
Just look at these:

1. Removes grease stains from clothing and fabric
2. Removes rust; methods include using fabric dipped in Coke, a sponge or even aluminum foil. Also loosens rusty bolts
3. Removes blood stains from clothing and fabric.
4. Cleans oil stains from a garage floor; let the stain soak, hose off.
5. Kills slugs and snails; the acids kills them.
6. Cleans burnt pans; let the pan soak in the Coke, then rinse.
7. Descales a kettle (same method as with burnt pans)
8. Cleans car battery terminals by pouring a small amount of Coke over each one.
9. Cleans your engine; Coke distributors have been using this technique for decades.
10. Makes pennies shine; soaking old pennies in Coke will remove the tarnish.
11. Cleans tile grout; pour onto kitchen floor, leave for a few minutes, wipe up.
12. Dissolves a tooth; Use a sealed container…takes a while but it does work.
13. Removes gum from hair; dip into a small bowl of Coke, leave a few minutes. Gum will wipe off.
14. Removes stains from vitreous china.
15. Got a dirty pool? Adding two 2-liter bottles of Coke clears up rust.
16. You can remove (or fade) dye from hair by pouring diet Coke over it.
17. Remove marker stains from carpet. Applying Coke, scrubbing and then clean with soapy water will remove marker stains.
18. Cleans a toilet; pour around bowl, leave for a while, flush clean.
19. Coke and aluminum foil will bring Chrome to a high shine. 20. Strips paint off metal furniture. Soak a towel in Coke and lay it on the paint surface. -

Who needs a lot of cleaning supplies when they have Coke!

See more at: Source

Thanks for the tips!

2 Gallons of Coke per day? I don't even drink 1 gallon of anything. In fact, I don't drink much more than a half gallon a day. With anything, the key is to use moderation. I might have a soda every now and then, but I certainly don't consume it everyday and usually go weeks between having any. My main beverage is filtered water.

I'm a little confused if someone takes the caution of drinking filtered water why would they ever drink sodas. I'm just trying to understand here.

Are you saying sodas are made using unfiltered water?

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

I agree, balance is important. I use distilled water where I am because there is considerable toxic risk of the well water here. I probably have a soda or two a year--depending on circumstances. It's a much better beverage to accept than beer when I'm in the community!

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Like "filtered" cigarettes?!

In Central America years back, we could not drink the water and the only bottled liquid available was either liquor or soda. Guess which one we drank........

It wasn't too far back that in much of the world, the safest thing one could drink was alcohol. Even children would drink alcohol with their parents' full approval rather than risk catching a deadly disease such as dysentery or cholera or all manner of parasites through the water supply.

California Senator Proposes Bill for Labels on Soda Warning of Obesity, Diabetes and Tooth Decay

by PF Louis

(NaturalNews) California State Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel) and others are proposing legislation that would require warning labels on sodas and juices with added sugars. The California State warning would include this phrase: "Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay."

Senator Monning stated in a news conference, "When the science is this conclusive, the state of California has a responsibility to take steps to protect consumers." The warning label is similar to what goes on cigarette packages and is intended to leave the consumer responsible for his or her decision after seeing the label.

One commenter on the LA Times article announcing this proposed legislation lamented that politicians have to do these things instead of medical authorities. Let's see, medical authority, oh yes, the FDA. The ones who have more adverse effect reports of aspartame in their files than any other food item, which are ignored while aspartame remains on the market as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) without any warnings. Right, the medical authorities.

Substances proven to be dangerous should be banned -- period. One medical authority in Venezuela did that. The Health Minister removed Coke Zero from the shelves, removed as in banned. Exactly why is confused by earlier reports. We all know that diet cokes contain harmful excitoxic sweeteners.

But exactly which one in Coke Zero drew the Health Minister's attention has been muddied by the mainstream's ignorance of excitotoxins and the history of how the FDA's approval of aspartame was manipulated politically.

The mainstream media preferred to paint the ban as a socialist stance on capitalism, you know, the free enterprise angle. That gets all the corporate serfs and corporate CEO wanna-be libertarians pumped up about how the commies are out to kill capitalism. One sarcastically wonders how much banning GMOs should be considered anti-free-market ideology.

It's unfortunate that many "free market" and libertarian types have been duped by the "corporations as individuals" fraud. Redefining issues with new wording gets the realities confused, and economic theory attachments sadly trump survival realities. Before the Civil War, corporations did not have all this power.

Corporations before they morphed into international monarchies

Up until the post-Civil War era, corporations had to be reviewed and granted a charter that detailed the approved activity in which they could operate for a specific period, say 10 years or so. The charter could be dissolved if the corporation's activity went outside the charter's allowance or if public or environmental harm was caused by that corporation.

Charter dissolution meant that they were done, over, and what remained of value was left for the shareholders to divide among themselves.

Corporations during those times were not allowed to influence political decisions, even with campaign contributions on a party level. Corporate individuals could be held responsible for corporate crimes or misdeeds according to their level of complicity.

If they became conglomerates and trusts, they could have their charter revoked for exceeding their charter's defined activity.

The major issue of corporate personhood was established as implied precedence by a Supreme Court decision in 1886. The case was between Santa Clara County and Southern Pacific Railroad.

From then on, the 14th Amendment, originally intended to protect the citizen privileges and liberties of freed slaves and ex-confederates, was used and manipulated under the false "personhood" of corporations, allowing them to evolve as ruthless dynasties.

The USA is neither a democracy nor a republic. It is an oligarchy. A handful of corporate leaders have the wealth and wherewithal to control us and destroy the environment while harming our health with impunity. Any group of citizens should have the power to completely ban proven dangerous corporate products or processes.

There's more on the corporate personhood issue at ReclaimDemocracy.org.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.latimes.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://reclaimdemocracy.org

http://science.naturalnews.com

Suzanne

It's Not Just the Sugar That Destroys Your Teeth: Carbonated Beverages Are All Made With Acid

by David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) By definition, a carbonated beverage is a liquid that has had carbon dioxide gas dissolved into it. This gas produces the fizzy bubbles that have made such beverages so wildly popular.

Yet, a side effect of forcing carbon dioxide gas into a beverage is that some of the carbon dioxide will react with water to form carbonic acid. This acid is responsible for the characteristic "bite" of most sodas, and its absence is part of the reason that flat sodas taste so different.

In addition to the naturally occurring carbonic acid, colas including Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola are made with added phosphoric acid.

No matter how low the concentration, it's not a good idea to drink acidic beverages too frequently. Of people who drink carbonated beverages regularly, this acid gradually wears down the enamel of their teeth and leave them vulnerable to tooth decay.

Combined with the high quantities of sugar found in many carbonated drinks, the effect is obviously devastating. Yet, even if all you drink is diet soda, you're still stripping your teeth's defenses away.

Sources:

http://www.ehow.com

http://www.healthyyounaturally.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

Suzanne

Diet Soda, Aspartame Linked To Premature Deaths In Women

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) A decade-long study of 60,000 women has confirmed that drinking diet soda sweetened with aspartame is linked with a 30 percent increase in heart attack risk and a 50 percent increase in death risk.

The findings, presented at the American College of Cardiology(1), have already been partially swept under the rug with the false explanation that diet drinks don't necessarily cause these risks but are instead merely correlated with them. "Women who toss back too many diet sodas may be trying to make up for unhealthy habits," claims an article on CNBC,(2) while citing no evidence whatsoever to support the claim. Keep in mind that any time a synthetic vitamin is correlated with increased mortality, the entire scientific community immediately describes those synthetic vitamins as "causing" death. Correlation is causation only when industry-funded scientists say it is.

Aspartame is a neurotoxin

What scientists refuse to explore -- even when the data clearly show a strong death risk association -- is that aspartame is a neurotoxin. The reason why women who drink diet soda have a 50 percent increased death risk is, of course, far more likely to be caused by what's in the diet soda rather than some lifestyle choice.

Aspartame, after all, is made from the feces of genetically engineered bacteria. It is not a natural sugar but rather a chemical compound created in an industrial lab. Used in diet sodas, it breaks down into a number of chemical compounds including formaldehyde and methanol. During digestion, the formaldehyde is oxidized into formic acid, a chemical known to cause toxicity in mammalian biology. Formic acid is also secreted by ants as part of their "chemical weapons" arsenal.

Aspartame linked to long list of neurological problems

Aspartame denialists try to pretend that all this formaldehyde, methanol and formic acid has no effect on human health. Their argument is identical to that of GMO denialists: "GMOs are harmless!" It's even the same argument as mercury denialists: "Mercury is harmless!"

Why, then, is aspartame so frequently linked to blurred vision, headaches and neurological problems when repeatedly consumed in the form of diet drinks? In fact, there are over 90 side effects linked to aspartame consumption, including headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, rashes, depression, irritability, insomnia, hearing loss, vision problems, loss of taste vertigo and memory loss.

Soda companies and misinformed doctors all try to pretend none of these side effects are real -- that people are all imagining headaches, blurred vision, numbness, insomnia and so on. That's how unethical the soda industry is: they poison their own customers with a neurotoxic chemical, then call them delusional when they suffer neurological side effects.

If you drink diet soda, you are murdering yourself

The bottom line in all this? If you drink diet soda, you are essentially murdering yourself. Call it "slow suicide."

There are a thousand beverages healthier than diet sodas: tea, fruit juice, mineral water, raw almond milk... even non-diet sodas are better for you than diet sodas! (And diet sodas have been conclusively proven to have no effect whatsoever on weight loss. So drinking them is a useless diet gesture to begin with.)

If for some reason you are still drinking diet soda, find a healthier beverage and stop poisoning yourself to death.

From the American College of Cardiology website:

[A] study led by Ankur Vyas, MD, of the University of Iowa found that postmenopausal women who consumed two or more diet drinks a day were 30 percent more likely to experience a cardiovascular event and 50 percent more likely to die from related cardiovascular disease than women who never, or only rarely, consumed diet drinks. The analysis of 59,614 participants in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, who had an average age of 62.8 and no history of cardiovascular disease, saw that after an average follow-up of 8.7 years, the primary cardiovascular outcome occurred in 8.5 percent of the women consuming two or more diet drinks per day compared to 6.9 percent in the five-to-seven drinks per week group; 6.8 percent in the one-to-four drinks per week group; and 7.2 percent in the zero-to-three per month group. The difference persisted when researchers adjusted for other cardiovascular risk factors and co-morbidities. The association between diet drinks and cardiovascular disease warrants further study to define the relationship, Vyas said.

Sources for this article include:
1) http://www.cardiosource.org/en/News-Media/Pu...

2) http://www.cnbc.com/id/101536768

Suzanne

The Down Side Of Diet Soda

by Mayimina

(NaturalNews) Diet soda was, for a long time, touted almost as a cure-all for those people who love to drink these fizzy, sparkling, bubbly beverages to do so nearly without guilt. With diet sodas that offer their sweetened liquid without all the weight-producing calories, people could continue to drink to their heart's content without worrying about gaining weight or harming their teeth and bones. The advent of diet soda meant that Americans, who, on average, drink around two cans of soda each day, did not have to kick their soda habit after all. Diet soda, however, did not end up being the cure that people had hoped it would be.

Not good for kidneys

Many people do not realize the harm they are potentially doing to their kidneys. In fact, a Harvard Medical School study that followed 3,000 women over the course of 11 years found that a decline in kidney function is associated with drinking soda. When women drank more than two sodas each day, their kidneys showed a decline. This decline had not been seen when regular soda was consumed, so researchers concluded that the artificial sweeteners must be responsible.

Increases metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome involves a group of symptoms that are associated with heart disease. These include high cholesterol and belly fat. A University of Wisconsin study from 2008 found that the risk of such symptoms jumped to 34% for diet soda consumers. While researchers were not able to pinpoint whether this jump was the result of the drinking habits of the study's participants or an ingredient in the diet soda, these results are sobering, given the fact that many people drink diet sodas to avoid extra weight gain.

Could cause weight gain

This drawback will likely be a surprise to many people, since they specifically drink diet sodas to help prevent weight gain. A study by the University of Texas Health Center found that people who drink a great deal of diet sodas face a greater risk of obesity. In fact, these researchers found that, simply by drinking two sodas a day, study participants increased their waistlines by a whopping 500%. Researchers point to the fact that artificial sweeteners are able to disrupt the ability of the body to properly regulate its caloric intake, according to a Purdue University animal study.

Alcohol and diet sodas are a bad combination

When cocktails are made with diet soda, people tend to get drunker, faster, according to Australia's Royal Adelaide Hospital. The culprit behind this phenomenon is the fact that using mixers that are sugar-free enables the alcohol to enter a person's bloodstream at a much quicker rate.

Though it turns out that diet soda is not really a viable alternative to sugar-laden drinks, all is not lost. Water makes a good substitute for diet sodas, and the occasional sugary drink will likely be fine.

Sources:

http://www.today.com

http://www.prevention.com

http://articles.chicagotribune.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

Suzanne

Drinking Soda Rapidly Accelerates Aging and Leads To Early Death

by Julie Wilson staff writer

(NaturalNews) Soda, pop, soda pop, coke, whatever you might call it depending on which part of the country you're from, this sugary drink is still by far one of the worst things that you can put into your body, and the research continues to substantiate this claim.

Published in the American Journal of Public Health, this latest study regarding the horrors of soft drinks comes from the University of California, San Francisco, with results disturbing enough to deter anyone from taking another sip of the syrupy, sugar-sweetened beverages.

Attempting to identify whether or not soda speeds up the body's aging process, researchers observed and assessed over 5,300 healthy adults who drank sugar-sweetened beverages, diet soda and fruit juice over a five-year period.

The participants, ages 20 to 65 years old, had no history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease according to the 1999 to 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, scientists say.

Sugary beverages discovered to be even more incredibly unhealthy and dangerous than previously thought, scientists admit

In order to test for a link between sugary drinks and cell aging, researchers compared the participants' beverage consumption with leukocyte telomere length, or the ends of chromosomes. The shorter the telomere, the less a cell can regenerate, indicating accelerated aging and an increased risk of disease and early death, reports CBS San Francisco.

The findings revealed that the more of a certain type of sugary drink the participants consumed, the shorter their telomeres turned out to be.

"This finding is alarming because it suggest[s] that soda may be aging us, in ways we are not even aware of," said one of the study's lead authors, Dr. Elissa Epel, who dedicated five years to the experiment.

The diets of the volunteers were reportedly assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls, while associations were made using multivariate linear regression to document chromosome length. An estimated 21 percent of survey respondents admitted to drinking 20 ounces of soda per day, which by scientist's calculations sheds about four and a half years off their lives.

After making adjustments for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, researchers concluded with 95 percent confidence that sugar-sweetened soda was linked to shorter telomeres in this particular study.

Scientists were unable to draw "significant" connections between consumption of diet sodas and noncarbonated sugar-sweetened beverages with telomere length, according to reports. However, consumption of 100 percent fruit juice was "marginally" associated with slightly longer telomeres.

100 percent fruit drinks could be beneficial to human health, while carbonated sugary sodas are likely detrimental to long-term health

The authors admit that they can't definitively say drinking sugary soda is the cause of shortened telomeres; however, previous studies have proven that drinks containing sugar do appear to accelerate the aging of cells, reports Guardian Liberty Voice.

Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence metabolic disease and development through accelerated cell aging, concludes the researcher's report, indicating that other factors may have contributed to telomere shortening and the onset of disease.

"We think we can get away with drinking lots of soda as long as we are not gaining weight, but this suggests that there is an invisible pathway that leads to accelerated aging, regardless of weight," said Dr. Epel.

An estimated 50 percent of Americans are still drinking sugary beverages daily, while approximately one out of four Americans say they consume at least 200 calories from soda alone, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Professor Epel plans to perform another study that will track volunteer's sugary drink habits in "real-time" before comparing the results to cell aging.

Sources:

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

http://ajph.aphapublications.org

http://guardianlv.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

Suzanne

Here's What Happens In The 60 Minutes After You Drink A Can Of Coca-Cola

by L.J. Devon, Staff Writer

(NaturalNews) Cleaning a toilet is cheap and easy with a can of Coca-Cola. After the Coke sits in the toilet for an hour, the carbonic and phosphoric acid gets the job done, leaving behind a scum-free toilet bowl!

When that same can of Coke is poured into the mouth and down the esophagus of a human being, a much more complex chain of events occurs. After burning its way down the throat and leaving behind a film of caramel coloring on the teeth, the Coca-Cola begins its nutritional destruction on the inside of the body.

In 60 minutes, a can of Coke takes the body on a roller coaster ride, taxing the liver, spiking the blood sugar, accelerating the production of bad fat and robbing the body of beneficial nutrients.

With 1.6 billion servings of Coke sold worldwide every day, it's no wonder why heart disease, malnutrition, dehydration, diabetes and obesity are slowly killing people.

Doctors often advise obese patients to stop eating fats, but many fats are good for the heart and the brain, like Omega-3 fatty acids. To top it off, simply avoiding fats disregards one of the most silent perpetrators of weight gain and disease – high fructose corn syrup.

Instead of drinking poisonous soda, drink a hydrating glass of WATER.

Soda robs the body of nutrients and burdens the liver

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is found in all sorts of processed foods, condiments and sweet drinks. It's even in the "low fat" alternative foods that people are conned into buying for losing weight.

The thing is this: HFCS is NOT like glucose. Glucose is recognized by the body, metabolized by the cells, and more readily used for energy, whereas HFCS breaks down into glucose and fructose, making it harder for the body to use.

The fructose that is broken down is nothing like the fructose in fruits, either. Fruits naturally have fiber to prevent the body from absorbing too much of the fructose. HFCS does not contain fiber. It floods the body with no accountability or balance, taxing the liver. HFCS is often consumed with other artificial sweetening agents that are only there to enhance a product's flavor. This flood of toxins is hard on the blood, skin and detoxifying organs.

HFCS is ultimately metabolized by the liver in similar fashion to ethanol found in an alcoholic drink. As fructose floods the liver, the liver becomes confused and ends up producing a bunch of bad fats. As the body is "intoxicated" by HFCS, the brain never receives the signal that it is full either. This may lead to a person to eating and drinking more, adding to weight gain woes.

Read other interesting articles on both toxic sweeteners like aspartame and natural sweeteners like coconut sugar at sweeteners.news

60 minutes of abuse

In the first 10 minutes of drinking a Coke, 10 teaspoons of sugar enter the body. That's 100 percent of a person's recommended daily intake. A person can only tolerate the extreme sweetness because the teeth-rotting phosphoric acid offsets the sweetness.

After 20 minutes has gone by, the blood sugar spikes, causing a burst of insulin. As the fructose runs rampant and goes unabsorbed, the liver goes into overtime, drawing in the sugar molecules and turning them into bad fats.

By the time 40 minutes hits, caffeine absorption maxes out. A person's blood pressure spikes and their pupils dilate. This spurs the liver to dump more sugar into the bloodstream. Consequentially, the brain's adenosine receptors are blocked, making the person feel awake.

Five minutes later, dopamine production goes up in the brain, giving the person feelings of pleasure that addict them into wanting more.

After an hour, the phosphoric acid that has made its way through the system has pulled out vital nutrients from the body. Calcium, magnesium and zinc bind with phosphoric acid in the lower intestine.

Calcium, magnesium, zinc, electrolytes and water are then urinated out the body and wasted. The Coke has not only addicted the brain to its curse but it has also caused the formation of bad fats, blood sugar spikes, blood pressure changes, dehydration and the loss of bone building nutrients!

As the hour climaxes, a person begins to have a sugar crash. Irritability and fatigue sets in. The bones are robbed of vital nutrients and the system is left dehydrated.

It's 60 minutes of abuse and it happens with every can of soda.

Sources for this article include:

http://therenegadepharmacist.com

http://therenegadepharmacist.com

Suzanne

Amen to that Green.

Now, I do have clean enough bottled water to drink where I am, but the SDA's here have little conviction or integrity. I remember when I first arrived here, I just ate whatever they put in front of me because I trusted my Adventist brothers and sisters. I later found out some of the food had blood in it and one of the drinks literally had worm in it.

I always bring my own food when I eat with SDA's anymore.

Drinking Soda Causes Diabetes Even In People Who Aren't Obese, Study Finds

by David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes even in people of healthy weight, according to a study conducted by researchers from Cambridge University and published in the British Medical Journal.

The study also found an increased (though smaller) risk in people who consumed artificially sweetened, "diet" beverages.

Scientists have long known that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with increased diabetes risk, but they have assumed the risk occurred only in overweight people or others showing symptoms of metabolic syndrome - a cluster of symptoms, including central obesity, linked with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

"This study adds further evidence that sugary drinks are associated with increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, even in non-obese people, suggesting we are all vulnerable," said Aseem Malhotra, spokesperson for Action on Sugar, who was not involved in the study. "They are linked to tens of thousands of deaths worldwide from type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. If these health time bombs were eliminated from the food supply, UK citizens would be in far better shape."

All sweetened drinks are dangerous

The researchers from the current study suspected that sugary drinks alone might be enough to cause diabetes, because their high sugar content causes the types of spikes in blood sugar levels believed to contribute to the development of insulin resistance. In order to see if there was a connection between the drinks and the disease, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 17 prior observational studies, none of them industry funded.

The results showed significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes among people who regularly consumed sugar-sweetened beverages. Rates were also higher among people who drank fruit juice or artificially sweetened drinks, but the connection was weaker.

"Unsweetened tea or water may be the healthy option," researcher Fumiaki Imamura said.

If one assumes that the sugary drinks actually caused the elevated rates of diabetes seen in the study, the researchers write, then "the current consumption of sugar sweetened beverages was estimated to cause approximately 2 [million] excess events of type 2 diabetes in the USA and 80,000 in the UK over 10 years. This could cost nearly [$19 billion] in the USA and [$321 million] in the UK."

Cut back for your health

The study fits into a growing global health effort to get people to cut back on consumption of sugary drinks. Just days before the study's publication, the United Kingdom's scientific advisory committee on nutrition said that sugar consumption should be cut back to no more than 5 percent of a person's caloric intake. The report singled out sugary carbonated beverages in particular as a source of unnecessary sugar.

In June, a similar warning was issued in a paper conducted by researchers from Tufts University and published in the journal Circulation. That study concluded, based on a survey of worldwide sugar consumption, that sugary drinks kill nearly 200,000 people per year: 6,450 from cancer, 45,000 from cardiovascular disease and 133,000 from diabetes.

"This is not complicated," senior author Dariush Mozaffarian said. "There are no health benefits from sugar-sweetened beverages, and the potential impact of reducing consumption is saving tens of thousands of deaths each year."

The message is clear: Regular consumption of sugary drinks places your health at risk.

In response to the Cambridge paper, Alasdair Rankin, director of research at Diabetes UK, said, "We would advise people to limit the amount of sugary drinks they have as part of a healthy diet in order to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes. There is very strong evidence that a healthy diet, together with regular physical activity, can help maintain a healthy weight and so help prevent type 2 diabetes."

Sources:

http://www.theguardian.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150629162646.htm

http://www.blacklistednews.com

Suzanne

Coca-Cola and Pepsi Contribute To Nearly 200,000 Deaths Every Year

by David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Sugary drinks such as Coke and Pepsi kill nearly 200,000 people per year worldwide, according to a study conducted by researchers from Tufts University and published in the journal Circulation.

The numbers are based on prior studies showing that sugar consumption can lead to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

"Many countries in the world have a significant number of deaths occurring from a single dietary factor - sugar-sweetened beverages," senior author Dariush Mozaffarian said.

"It should be a global priority to substantially reduce or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet,"

The study's abstract was previously presented at the American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention in 2013.

U.S. has one of highest death rates

The study is the first to take a detailed look at the global health impact of consuming beverages sweetened with sugar. It focused exclusively on any sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, teas or homemade drinks sweetened with some form of sugar and containing at least 50 calories per 8-ounce serving. Due to its different nutrient content, 100 percent fruit juice (not artificially sweetened) was excluded from the study.

The researchers used 62 separate dietary surveys conducted on a total of 611,971 people in 51 countries between 1980 and 2010 to estimate sugar consumption country-by-country. They combined this with data on how available sugar is in 187 different countries, in order to calculate variation in sugar consumption both between and within countries.

Drawing on prior studies delineating the health effects of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages, the researchers determined the effect that the sugar consumption they had calculated would have on death rates from cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. They concluded that in 2010 alone, sugar-sweetened beverages killed 6,450 people from cancer, 45,000 from cardiovascular disease and 133,000 from diabetes, for a total of nearly 185,000 deaths.

Although 76 percent of the deaths from sugar-sweetened drinks occurred in middle- and low-income countries, the United States came in second among the 20 most populous countries in terms of per-capita deaths, at 125 per million adults. It was surpassed only by Mexico, which had 405 deaths per million adults.

"This is not complicated," Mozaffarian said. "There are no health benefits from sugar-sweetened beverages, and the potential impact of reducing consumption is saving tens of thousands of deaths each year."

Sugar among top killers

The findings follow a recent scorching editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, in which scientists accused the fast food industry of using the Big Tobacco playbook to distract people from the lethality of their products. Specifically, the authors referred to a study showing that for every 150 calories from sugar present in a country's diet, type 2 diabetes rates increase elevenfold. According to another recent study in the Lancet, poor diet causes more disease than smoking, alcohol and physical inactivity combined.

According to the Tufts study, the United States suffers 25,000 deaths per year directly attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages. This is nearly the same as the 30,000 to 40,000 people killed in automobile crashes each year (according to a recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 1,600 of those deaths are caused just by distracted teenage drivers).

Contrast these very real killers with the diseases portrayed as major threats in media reports. Only 20 people died from whooping cough (pertussis) in the United States in 2012, the most deadly year since 1955. There has been just a single measles death since 2003 (even prior to vaccination, measles killed only 500 a year). And while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention likes to claim that 36,000 people per year die from the flu, data from the National Vital Statistics System actually place the true number at closer to 500.

Sources:

http://pix11.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150629162646.htm

http://www.naturalnews.com/049647_obesity_junk_food_diet.html

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1105.pdf

http://www.naturalnews.com

Suzanne

Does that include the no caffeine coke and pepsi, or just the sugar ones...?