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FAR FROM SOFT! In The ADD Nutrition Solution: A Drug-Free 30-Day Plan, Marcia Zimmerman, CN,* points out that sodium benzoate, used as a preservative (for microbial control) in foods such as soft drinks, fruit juices, margarines, confections, pickles and jams, results in adding sodium to the diet, thus reducing the availability of potassium. Some reported reactions to sodium benzoate include recurring urticaria (rash), asthma and eczema. Artificial colourings, especially Yellow No. 5, promote attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in some children. Yellow No. 5 also causes hives, asthma and other allergic reactions in a small number of individuals. Artificial flavours may also contain traces of MSG, a neurotoxin. Soft drinks are said to increase the recurrence of kidney stones. Hence, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) includes colas on a list of foods that patients should avoid to prevent the recurrence of stones. Why consume junk that offers no nutrition? This pretty much sums up the moot point. Why should we drink stuff that offers us no nutritional value but, instead, leads to a number of health ailments? Is our increasing fondness for soft drinks of every kind merely rooted in a lack of awareness? Perhaps advisories recommending that consumers avoid soft drinks no longer make their way to the mainstream media? Apparently, in 1942, the American Medical Association's Council on Food and Nutrition made the following statement: "From the health point of view it is desirable especially to have restriction of such use of sugar as is represented by consumption of sweetened carbonated beverages and forms of candy which are of low nutritional value. The Council believes it would be in the interest of the public health for all practical means to be taken to limit consumption of sugar in any form in which it fails to be combined with significant proportions of other foods of high nutritive quality."* The bottom line is that soft drinks, including energy drinks, offer practically nothing by way of nutrition. The calories ingested, because of their sugar content, are rightly termed "empty calories" that contribute to weight gain and, eventually, obesity. Given the high per-capita consumption of colas in the USA, it therefore comes as no surprise that recent research indicates that half of American adults and one in three American children is overweight.* Even worse, a modern lifestyle entailing a large consumption of soft drinks is further linked to an early onset of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiac ailments, heart attacks, strokes and cancer.* ~seee 3 y eaten wes ee State, but she has had to settle for a law requiring school boards to therefore comes as no surprise that recent research indicates that hold public hearings before signing such contracts.” half of American adults and one in three American children is Likewise, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) introduced a bill overweight.* Even worse, a modern lifestyle entailing a large in April 2001 requiring the USDA to rule within 18 months on consumption of soft drinks is further linked to an early onset of banning or limiting the sale of soda and junk food in schools lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiac ailments, heart before students have eaten lunch. However, the bill was never attacks, strokes and cancer.® passed into law.” Alternatively, some social watchers point to a rule introduced in Aspartame: a deadly toxin The Philippines whereby every litre bottle of carbonated soft Consumers should also know that low-sugar drinks such as diet drink sold is taxed. They suggest that the tax collected from such sodas using artificial sweeteners may promise fewer calories but sales should be distributed to augment come laden with aspartame, a chemical dwindling school budgets.” . considered a potent neurotoxin and an ooo low-sugar drinks such as endocrine disrupter. Besides being Pesticides in your soft drinks A A ese associated with a multitude of health Quite aside from soft drinks being diet sodas using artificial side effects such as brain tumours, associated with nutritional sweeteners come laden birth defects, diabetes, emotional deficiencies, the water used to manufacture soft drinks may contain disorders and epilepsy/seizures, aspartame when stored for long with aspartame, excessive ure es and other a chemical considered a periods of “ime or Kept in war areas contaminants. In the , tap water, . changes to methanol, an alcohol that the main ingredient of bottled soft potent neurotoxin and an converts to formaldehyde and formic rinks. can contain chemicals such “s endocrine disrupter. acid whic} are Known Caren chlorine, trihalomethanes, lead, n her boo e Crazy Makers, cadmium and various organic Carol Simontacchi points this out: pollutants.” "One liter of an aspartame-sweetened This problem is only compounded in developing countries. In beverage can produce about fifty-six milligrams of methanol. India, for instance, the Centre for Science and Environment When several of these beverages are consumed in a short period (CSE), an independent public-interest organisation, has detected a of time (one day, perhaps), as much as two hundred [and] fifty higher level of pesticides in certain soft drinks—yet, in spite of milligrams of methanol are dumped into the bloodstream, or three years of deliberations and 20 meetings, the Bureau of Indian thirty-two times the EPA limit."*” Standards (BIS) has still not finalised the standards for soft Besides aspartame, the artificial sweetener saccharin, which is drinks. Instead, television viewers are being served a plethora of now used only in a few brands, has been linked in human studies new advertising segments featuring leading film stars contracted to urinary/bladder cancer and in animal studies to cancers of the as brand ambassadors advising consumers that the relevant soft bladder and other organs.* Acesulfame-K, which is used in the drink is absolutely safe to drink.” new Pepsi One, is currently considered safe for use, but who The CSE particularly notes that "international standards for knows what future research may throw up?” pesticide residue all over the world (including the US and EU) recognise the trade-off between pesticides and nutrition. Fruits Overdosing on extreme energy drinks and vegetables have nutrition. They give us something in this Recent research findings presented at the annual scientific poison-nutrition trade-off. We get nothing with colas. Just assembly of the American College of Emergency Physicians in pesticides."* New Orleans also question the energy offered by so-called energy .. low-sugar drinks such as “diet sodas using artificial Patna 1 Ee ae ee ea Pt with aspartame, a chemical considered a Overdosing on extreme energy drinks Recent research findings presented at the annual scientific assembly of the American College of Emergency Physicians in New Orleans also question the energy offered by so-called energy 30 + NEXUS sweeteners come laden potent neurotoxin and an endocrine disrupter. www.nexusmagazine.com FEBRUARY — MARCH 2007