Exposing Soft Drinks | Coca-Cola won't be good for your health

Exposing Soft Drinks 

People may think that this is almost half a glass of sugar. Now it is difficult to eat so much sugar together, but a 600 milliliter bottle of Mirinda contains the same amount of sugar. Specifically, 82.8 grams. Soft drinks have become so common in our lives that if you go to any city in any country in the world, you will find a bottle of Coca-Cola everywhere. Do you know that there are only two countries left in the world where Coca-Cola is not available? Not a single one is sold, the first is North Korea and the second is Cuba. In all other countries, from cinema halls to cricket matches, from college canteens to wedding occasions, from children to the elderly, everyone, everywhere, drinks it. According to Coca-Cola's own website, 1.9 billion servings of Coca-Cola are sold every day. Can you imagine how big this number is and this is just about one drink if you include all soft drinks, then how many people drink them around the world.

Today I am going to open all your eyes by telling you what is inside these drinks, find out for yourself and then show your family and friends what they are really drinking."

We start with lies and rumors because my aim is not to scare you. By telling you scientifically what you are really drinking, I want to enlighten you. So, a big myth about soft drinks is that people who hate them often call them toilet cleaners. Wherever there is more sugar present, mold and bacteria can easily grow, and phosphoric acid inhibits the growth of those bacteria. So, not only will you find phosphoric acid in soft drinks, but also in jams, processed meats, cereal bars, bottled coffee beverages, baking powder, protein drinks, and even in all these items. Interestingly, both these acids can also be found in many toilet cleaners. Homemade toilet cleaners often contain vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice, but still, it would be wrong to compare soft drinks and toilet cleaners because in chemistry, you must have learned in school that there are some acids that are mild, diluted acids, and some acids that are concentrated, stronger acids. Phosphoric acid is a weak acid, and toilet cleaners often contain stronger chemicals such as sodium hypochlorite and hydrochloric acid, which are used to clean stains effectively. By the way, hydrochloric acid is also present in our stomach. It is an important component of gastric acid. Now, we wouldn't compare our stomach to a toilet cleaner, right ? Because conclusions can be drawn based on a complex consideration of chemistry.

Another point that is often raised is that the pH level of a soft drink is equivalent to the pH level of a toilet cleaner. You must have learned about pH levels in school, which measures how acidic a substance is. So, the pH level of soft drinks is usually around 2.5, but do you know how acidic lemon juice is? Its pH level ranges from 2.0 to 2.6. Pomegranates, which are acidic fruits, have a pH level of around 2.9, similar to grapes.

If this myth is now clear to you, you may ask whether drinking soft drinks is right. The answer to this question is quite straightforward, my friends: "No." Now, before discussing why, another question might arise in your mind: if I am already exposing soft drinks, why was I defending them by discussing rumors? The simple reason is that misinformation is harmful whether the conclusions drawn from it are true or false. We should not base our conclusions on misleading information. Now let's understand why soft drinks are harmful.

I won't talk about any secret ingredients here. Often, when you see advertisements, such as the news we heard earlier about pesticides found in cold drinks sold in Delhi, it's not a common occurrence. We're talking about soft drinks, and none of the reputable companies add contaminants. Only pure drinks are what the companies intend to produce. Check the bottle and ingredients list. Initially, I mentioned an example from Pepsi-Cola, but you'll also find a similar brand from Coca-Cola, like Fanta. These are the two biggest companies.

The issue is that when you eat aloo paratha or masala dosa, you might feel full after your meal, but if you drink a bottle of Coca-Cola or Mirinda, will your stomach feel full? These extra calories are unnecessary. After all, you'll still have to eat lunch or dinner. Moreover, normal food contains various nutrients such as protein, sodium, potassium, vitamins, fibers, and fats. But what do you get from this bottle? Just empty calories with no nutrients, just heaps of sugar. There's so much sugar that you won't believe it. For comparison, the same amount of sugar added to an empty glass would be around 13.8 grams in 100 ml. In a 600 ml bottle, like Mirinda, you get 82.8 grams of sugar, which fills half a glass. This much sugar can make you very sick. You might ask, what's the normal amount of added sugar for an average person to consume? The answer is "zero". Yes, you read that right, zero. We're talking about added sugar, not natural sugar. Our body already gets natural sugar from natural foods like lactose in milk and fructose in fruits. These are examples of natural sugar that you get from milk or fruits, providing you with energy and fulfilling your body's needs. Natural sugar fulfills your body's requirements.

Added sugar is the extra sugar we add to our food while cooking or preparing meals. According to the American Heart Association, our body doesn't need any added sugar to function properly. So, from the body's perspective, the requirement is zero added sugar for both adult men (36 grams per day) and adult women (25 grams per day). In Mirinda's 600 ml bottle, there's 82.8 grams of sugar, which exceeds the limit you should consume daily. So, consuming so much added sugar daily can make you very, very sick.

I mentioned this at the end because most people think that a little extra sugar won't hurt, but very few people know that all these diseases are also caused by excessive sugar intake. The most dangerous thing about sugar is that you can get addicted to it in the same way people get addicted to drugs, etc.

The study from 2017 compared sugar addiction to cocaine addiction. That's why when you look around, you'll see people in your life who regularly consume soft drinks. Few will admit to only drinking them occasionally. People addicted to sugar will either consume soft drinks continuously, or if they're not drinking them consistently, they'll consume candies, chocolates, sweets, and ice cream, all of which are high in added sugar. Sugar overconsumption has been a trend in many countries for some time now. That's why Pepsi launched Diet Pepsi in 1964 and Coca-Cola launched Diet Coke in 1982. These diet versions of soft drinks have zero calories and zero added sugar, so does that make them safe to drink? These diet soft drinks use artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin, which have had a controversial history. Several studies have linked them to cancer, leading to bans in many places. However, some studies conducted by other organizations have found no link to cancer. A recent study conducted on 100,000 adults in France on March 24, 2022, found an actual increase in cancer risk with these sweeteners. If you visit the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) official website, you'll also see that aspartame has been linked to cancer. Some studies have linked these artificial sweeteners to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney problems, and birth defects. However, despite the benefits of doubt, I would like to mention that the studies favoring them are true, while all the rest are false. Now, let's look closely at the other ingredients. The next dangerous ingredient you'll find in soft drinks is caramel, which has been linked to cancer. Basically, caramel involves heating sugar, along with ammonia and sulfites, resulting in a by-product called 4-Methylimidazole (4-MEI). Many studies have linked it to cancer, and in California, it's listed as a carcinogen. According to California law, if any food or drink contains more than 29 micrograms of this carcinogen, it's not permitted, but less than 29 micrograms is allowed. According to a 2012 news article, samples of soft drinks contained up to 138 micrograms, four times the permitted limit. Following this controversy, Coca-Cola announced that they would change their formula and use a new formula with a lower amount of 4-MEI, but these changes were only made in the United States. There are no laws regarding this issue in countries like India and many other developing countries. Similar news was seen again in 2014 when an organization checked various soft drinks and found higher levels of 4-MEI. Another side note I would like to mention is that when any food item is burned beyond a certain point, it's not good for your health. If your bread in the toaster turns black or your vegetables are burnt to the point of appearing black, don't eat them as they contain a high level of acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen according to the World Health Organization. The same logic applies when sugar is burnt to make caramel, but even that can cause cancer. Now, those of you who enjoy drinking Mind-Fanta will be wondering where the orange color comes from. These drinks use a synthetic food color called E110, also known as Sunset Yellow FCF, and its chemical name is Disodium 6-hydroxy-5-[(4-sulfophenyl)azo]naphthalene-2-sulfonate. It's an azo dye derived from petroleum, but it's essential for your life. In 1973, pediatrician Benjamin Feingold found that artificial food flavors cause hyperactivity in children. It also affects children's attention. That's why in the year 2000, countries like Norway, Finland, and Sweden banned Sunset Yellow FCF. Other countries are not as proactive on this issue. In 2007, South Hatton University conducted a study that found a link between E110 and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. After this research study, the UK's Food Standards Agency began paying attention to this issue in 2008 and recommended to the government that these six artificial colors should be banned. Efforts were made to extend this ban to the European Union. In 2010, regulations were introduced in the European Union that required any product containing artificial colors to be labeled. After this, many companies actually stopped using these colors, but only in the European Union where there were problems. However, once again, in other countries where these regulations do not exist, these companies are exploiting the rules and are still using the same ingredients. If you look at the back of a bottle of Mind-Fanta in India, you'll see written in the contents permitted synthetic food color bracket 110. As I mentioned, this is the code name. These companies always think about their profits rather than people's health. In countries where regulations do not exist, they continue to sell cheap cancer-causing products. Does it matter to you that in 2024, India still has no regulations?

The test was conducted in a private lab where it was found that these soft drinks contain benzene. Benzene is a gas that is emitted from car exhausts, burning coal, or oil. It is usually associated with causing cancer. Upon investigation, it was found that the benzene in these soft drinks comes from the reaction between benzoate salts, such as sodium benzoate, and ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid is Vitamin C, and when it reacts with benzoate salts, it forms benzene. This reaction only requires heat and light, which occurs when these bottles are exposed to heat and light during the summer. In 2007, when this controversy arose, it led to court cases. Pepsi and Coca-Cola were against each other, and in the following year, 2008, it was reported that Coca-Cola would remove or stop using sodium benzoate in their products.

Moving on to other ingredients, phosphoric acid is found in drinks to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. While it's not entirely useless since phosphoric acid is also found in milk, consuming too much of it can lead to tooth decay. Hence, there's a small piece of advice often given to children not to consume too many soft drinks to avoid tooth decay. Tooth decay due to phosphoric acid might seem insignificant compared to other things. Additionally, acidity regulators are added to these drinks. For example, acidity regulator 330, which is citric acid, is commonly found in lemons and gives a slightly sour taste. It is added for the same taste in these drinks. Furthermore, acidity regulator 331, which is sodium citrate, is a crystalline salt made from the fermentation of citric acid. It actually helps reduce acidity. These drinks also contain preservatives like stabilizers E14450 (known as starch sodium octenyl succinate) and E445 (known as ester gum stabilizers and emulsifiers). They work to mix two liquids that otherwise wouldn't mix, ensuring homogeneity of the solution.

Finally, after all these ingredients, carbonated water is added to soft drinks, which is water infused with carbon dioxide, giving it fizz. The liquids in carbonated drinks are called sodas when carbon dioxide is added to them. So, all these soft drinks are basically sugar sodas. If we ignore all the other ingredients, the main ingredients are water—actually carbonated water, which contains gas—and sugar. That's why these are called sugar sodas.

In 2014, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola can be seen in schools during cricket tournaments and quiz competitions, which are sponsored by Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola's ads can be seen in AIDS. This means they won't market to children, but they'll market alongside children. There are many celebrities who are opening their eyes. Celebrities and sportsmen who are actually endorsing these companies until today are promoting them. I would like to open their eyes that doing these things is not so easy, especially ending sugar addiction. Because if you say to yourself that you will drink these items only once in three to four months, then what big deal is that? These three to four months will change in one to two months, then in a few weeks, and then you will start consuming sugar items. Fighting sugar addiction is very important, so if you think fresh fruit juices and lemon water can be alternatives, then that's wrong. Yes, it's true that fresh fruit juices won't contain all the chemicals, cancer-causing items won't be there, but sugar will still be there. Even in things like lemon water, there is dead sugar, and fresh fruits are so concentrated that if you want to extract orange juice, you'll need at least six oranges. And as I mentioned, fruits contain natural sugar. If you take that natural sugar in a normal amount, there's no problem, but if you concentrate it so much that you start eating ten oranges at once, then it won't be good for your health.