Soft drink risks

The metabolism of VLDL by lipoprotein lipase in the capillaries in many tissues results in the formation of low density lipoprotein (LDL), which is atherogenic, so that diets high in sucrose are a risk factor for development of atherosclerosis. Many children in developed countries now consume large quantities of soft drinks containing sucrose or fructose. According to the above discussion, this could lead to atherosclerosis in later life. 

Choi, H. K. and Curhan, G. T. (2008). Soft drinks, fructose consumption, and the risk of gout in men Prospective cohort study. BMJ 336,309-312. 

Human studies and rodent experiments demonstrating the potential for CCM to reduce the risk of tooth enamel erosion are included in the patent of Andon et ah (1992). One experiment assessed rats provided with soft drink, soft drink with added CCM, or water as their only source of fluids for 21 days. Based on a predefined erosion scale, the average extent of dental erosion compared to the unfortified soft drink was 4.5 and sixfold less in water and soft drink + CCM, respectively. Another study used the Vickers hardness measurement to assess the mean ( SEM) reduction in surface hardness of human enamel specimens (n = 8 per group) immersed for 60 min in 15 ml of OJ (-101 8.7), OJ + CCM (0.9 5.8), grapefruit juice (-130 12.7), grapefruit juice + CCM (2.8 6.4), or... 

Dry mouth is the most common autonomic adverse effect, and patients should be alerted to its possible occurrence. Profuse sweating, especially at night, can also occur, but the precise mechanism is unknown. There is an increased risk of dental caries as a result of the loss of the bacteriostatic effects of saliva. This problem is further compounded when patients attempt to relieve dry mouth by ingesting hard candy or soft drinks therefore, sugar-free substances should be recommended. 

If you check any food composition table, you would see that potassium and sodium are found together in every food category. Both in foods and in the human body, they are often accompanied by chloride, which is the chemically active form of the element chlorine. All the natural foods I can think of have a lot more potassium than sodium, but they all have both—and chloride. Processed foods (potato chips, breakfast cereals, roasted nuts, soft drinks, etc.) are the only foods that have more sodium than potassium, and I believe you can guess why. The manufacturers often add salt to their products. Why Table salt (sodium chloride) acts as a preservative and a flavor enhancer. Products have a longer shelf life, and, besides, the salty taste is popular and helps sell many commercial food products. Salt is, however, somewhat addictive, and excessive intakes of it complicate body chemistry and increase the risk of high blood pressure in some individuals. 

Different types of microorganisms are involved in food production, and some of the strains used are modified by the producer. At every production step there is the risk that contamination of the desired strains with unwelcome strains will occur, which can lead to a loss in production or a health risk for customers. Examples are contamination with Listeria strains in raw milk products and contamination of soft drinks or milk products with toxic E. coli strains. Information about specific positive quahties of modified strains is restricted almost entkely to the food producer and therefore will not be controlled through food inspection. 

Suspicion about a possible health risk from the simultaneous consumption of benzoic and ascorbic acid arose in the 1990 s in connection with soft drinks. The British daily The Independent picked up the Une again in 2007 when it claimed that benzoic and soibic acids may harm mitochondria, the energy producing center of cells. These claims were based on yeast cell experiments carried out by biochemist... 

Food dyes, especially the artificial ones ( 1.4), are probably the most controversial gronp of food additives. The proven risk of allergic htrman reactions to these substances is seldom larger than for other substances, but their urmecessary use should no donbt be avoided blue triple sec, green ketchup, or soft drinks containing 8-10 % of orange, cherry or other fruit are made more attractive by dyes. However, natural substances may also be problematic, and some of them are banned today. 

Another artificial sweetener, which gained wide use in the 1960s and 1970s, is sodium cyclamate. Sodium cyclamate, which is 33 times as sweet as sucrose, belongs to the class of compounds known as the sulfamates. The sweet taste of many of the sulfamates has been known since 1937, when Sveda accidentally discovered that sodium cyclamate had a powerfully sweet taste. The availability of sodium cyclamate spurred the popularity of diet soft drinks. Unfortunately, in the 1970s, research showed that a metabolite of sodium cyclamate, cyclohexylamine, posed some potentially serious health risks, including a risk of cancer. This sweetener has thus been withdrawn from the market. 

Eshak ES, Iso H, Mizoue T, Inoue M, Noda M, Tsugane S. Soft drink, 100% fruit juice, and vegetable juice intakes and risk of diabetes mellitus. Clin Nutr. 2013 32(2) 300-308. 

Aspartame (below) is an artificial sweetener used in diet soft drinks and is marketed under many trade names, including Equal and Nutrasweet. In the body, aspartame is hydrolyzed to produce methanol, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine. The production of phenylalanine poses a health risk to infants bom with a rare condition called phenylketonuria, which prevents phenylalanine from being digested properly. Draw the structures of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. 

There has also been some concern that benzoic acid and its salts may react with ascorbic acid (present as an ingredient in beverages) to form small quantities of benzene [20]. This is a worry because benzene is toxic and linked to many forms of cancer. Formation of benzene is exacerbated in soft drinks if they are stored for extended periods at elevated temperatures. Although the levels and frequency at which such benzene formation has occurred in the past have not been considered to pose a public health risk, the soft drinks industry has developed methods to prevent or minimize its occurrence. In recent years, the use of benzoates has been reduced because of new processing techniques but it is still necessary to use these preservatives in some beverages to maintain their quality. 

Franz R, Mauer A, Welle F (2004) European survey on post-consumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) materials to determine contamination levels and maximum consumer exposure from food packages made from recycled PET. Food Addit Contam 21(3) 265-286 Franz R, Welle F (2008) Migration measurement and modelling from poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) into soft drinks and fruit juices in comparison with food simulants. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess 25(8) 1033-1046 Guazzotti V, Marti A, Piergiovanni L et al (2014) Bio-based coatings as potential barriers to chemical contaminants from recycled paper and board for food packaging. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. doi 10.1080/19440049.19442013. 19869360... 

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