Soda and Its Dark Side
I am Dr Patrick Flanagan, and this is the latest edition of my
Dr Health Secrets newsletter.
I am a scientist with over 300 inventions related to health,
longevity and medicine. This newsletter installment is about
soda and its effects on your body.
Pop Goes The Soda
It is one of those classic representations of American culture.
I have grown up with it, loved it, consumed tons of it, and
stood behind its red and white bottle as if it were part of our
constitution. Coca-Cola started a revolution and single-handedly
became one of the most successful companies in history. Sold in
over 140 countries and to over 5.8 billion people who speak over
80 different languages, Coca-Cola is worth more than 58 billion
dollars on the stock market. For more than 65 years, Coca-Cola
has been an Olympic sponsor and was even promised to the troops
by President Woodrow Wilson during times of war. One in every
two cola products and two out of every three soft drinks sold
are Coca-Cola.
Invented in May 1886 by Doctor John Pemberton, a pharmacist from
Georgia, Coca-Cola was originally marketed as a tonic,
containing extracts of both cocaine and of the caffeine-rich
kola nut. The cocaine additive was simply a "valuable tonic with
nerve stimulant," with sugar being added for extra sweetening.
Described as a "delicious, exhilarating, refreshing and
invigorating soda-fountain beverage but also as the ideal
temperance drink," Coca-Cola was so good that is what, well,
addictive.
Drink Up
Soda comprises more than one-fourth of all drinks that are
consumed in the United States. More than 15 billion gallons were
sold in 2000 alone, which is equivalent to one 12-ounce can of
soda, per day, for every man, woman, and child. Carbonated
drinks provide more added sugar in the average 2-year-old
toddler's diet than cookies, ice cream, and candies added
together. 56% of 8-year-olds drink soda daily, and 1/3 of
teenage boys drink at least 3 cans a day. 60% of all public and
private high schools and middle schools nationwide sell soda.
Daily calories from soda and fruit drinks nearly tripled from
1977 to 2001, and side effects of soda include weight gain,
fatigue, and sugar dependency.
It is easy to believe I get enough "water" from any liquid
refreshments such as soda, coffee, beer, and fruit juices
because they all contain water. But the problem is that they
also contain caffeine, sugar, alcohol, artificial sweeteners,
and chemicals that all cause major dehydration. The more these
products are consumed, the more dehydrated you become because
the effects that these substance have on the body are the
complete opposite of the effects that water has. Caffeine
containing products, like Coca-Cola and many other sodas,
trigger stress responses within the body that have strong
diuretic effects. Added sugars cause blood sugar levels to rise,
which then leads to the depletion of much needed cellular water.
Over time, chronic dehydration results and toxic levels within
the body can become deadly.
Give Me Water and Salvation
Chronic dehydration can lead to headaches, fatigue, nausea, and
even death, so staying hydrated is incredibly important. That is
where MegaHydrate steps in. Most water's surface tension is so
high that the cells of the body can absorb only part of it.
MegaHydrate decreases the surface tension of water so that your
cells can hydrate themselves properly and thoroughly. With
hydrated cells, you have a hydrated body, and a hydrated body is
a healthy one.