Harmful Ingredients in Soda Pop

Consumption of soda pop has increased by 47% since the mid 1980s (La Duca). It is becoming the drink of choice for our children who are the heaviest consumers. They are drinking more of the chemical cocktail than life-giving water and calcium-rich milk. Soda pop is a huge culprit in adding to the list of unhealthy, even dangerous, ingredients that children consume on a daily basis. Some of its main ingredients include caffeine, phosphoric acid, aspartame (in diet drinks), white processed sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. We will take a closer look at each of these substances.
Caffeine is very addictive. If a child drinks just one regularly caffeinated soda, they are ingesting 50 mg of caffeine, the same amount of caffeine as in half a cup of coffee. This is too much for these little bodies to handle well. This amount of caffeine can cause the jitters, “increase in heart rate, sleeplessness, headache, mood swings, upset stomach, and rise of blood pressure” (Gove). Some research links caffeine to vitamin and mineral depletion, birth defects, and some forms of cancer (Oleda). It also can cause dehydration, causing a child to want to drink more. It can become a downward spiral of addiction and health risks.
Phosphoric Acid may well be the most dangerous chemical in soda pop. Those who work with it in laboratories have to wear full protective gear, including breathing apparatuses. Though it is not added to soda pop at full strength, there is still cause for concern. Since it neutralized the stomach’s natural hydrochloric acid needed for digestion, it can interfere with digestion, “making it difficult to utilize nutrients” (Oleda). It makes it difficult for the body to use calcium, leading to teeth and bone softening and even osteoporosis. Calcium is also a major player in immune function.
A chemical used in most diet sodas is aspartame. This, and other, sugar substitutes have over “92 different health side effects” (Oleda). Some of these include premature aging, weight gain, brain tumors, birth defects, emotional disorders, and seizures. When it is stored in warm areas, or kept for long periods of time it changes to methanol, which converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known to be carcinogenic (cancer causing). That is not the end of the list, because it is also associated with diabetes (Oleda). So why do doctors continue to recommend diet soda to their diabetic patients? Consider what this could do to a child.
The sweetest villains of all are white processed sugar (refined sugar) and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). We will consider sugar first. Kids get more of this stuff from pop than from cookies, ice cream, and candy combined. Each 12 ounce can of soda has 10 to 12 teaspoons of sugar (1/4 cup), which amounts to 140 empty calories (La Duca). More refined sugar is used by soda pop manufacturers in the United States than by any other sugar consumption company (Oleda), that includes candy, cookie, and snack companies. Nancy Appleton, PhD., has written several books about the harmful effects of refined sugar. Below is a partial list of her documentation called “144 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health.”
1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
39. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
43. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
44. Sugar causes food allergies.
45. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
49. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA.
68. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
71. Sugar can cause depression.
77. A diet high in refined sugar reduces learning capacity.
94. Sugar is an addictive substance.
96. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
98. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
109. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
120. The more sodas a 10 year old consumes, the less milk.
That is quite an ominous list, and quite discouraging. Now, we will take a look at high fructose corn syrup. From 1977 to 2001, the use of this ingredient in soft drinks went up 135%. Manufacturers liked that it was cheaper and sweeter than white sugar. However, if it can be possible, it is even worse than table sugar. It “contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals, and it leeches micronutrients from your body” (Mercola). When consumed in liquid form, as in soda pop, it is metabolized more rapidly to fat than any other sugar, and its negative effects are much more magnified. Some of these negative effects are diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, increase in triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and liver disease (Mercola).

Works Cited:

Appleton, Nancy, PhD. “144 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health.” 6 July 2008.
http://www.nancyappleton.com/index.html

“Dangers of Soda Pop (Carbonated Soft Drinks). Oleda Newsletter. Oleda and Company, Inc.6 June 2008. http://www.oleda.com/oleda_tips/

Gove, Jennifer. “The Harmful Effects of Soda Pop on Children”. Simply Mom. 2006. 6 June 2008. http://www.simplymoms.com/art/sodachildren.html/

La Duca, Doreen. “Are we drinking too much soda pop?” Colorado State University Extension.Nov. 27, 2007. Colorado State University. 6 June 2008.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columncc/cc010821.html

Mercola, Joseph, D.O. “How High Fructose Corn Syrup Damages Your Body.” Mercola Natural Health Newsletter. July 2007. 8 July 2008. http://wwwlarticles.mercola.com