Reports

CHEMICAL SOFT DRINKS

Remember in High School you probably had to dissect a frog or some other poor laboratory creature.  Well this month let's dissect an ingredients label - it doesn't smell and you don't have to get your hands dirty! 

I've chosen one of the worlds most popular soft-drinks - Coca-cola.  All the following information is a matter of public record; it's just that most of us don't understand the names and numbers on the ingredients list and what its consumption means to your health. Let's take a look at each and every ingredient listed on the label and begin to get a really clear look at what is going on behind labeling and product advertising by setting out the ingredients list clearly and precisely for all to see in black and white and in words (not numbers) that we can understand.

I believe that an occasional glass of coca-cola or other soft- fizzy- or carbonated- drink is probably not going to cause the average person too much trouble.  For those without chemical sensitivities the problems arise when these flavoured drinks take the place of all other fluids in the diet especially in place of clean water.  When these drinks are being consumed in large quantities, the amounts of chemicals ingested increases to dangerous levels caus ing health and behavioral problems. 

Many of these flavoured drinks contain ingredients that can become an addiction.  It is well known that sugar can be addictive; it is well known that caffeine is addictive and it is not only cola drinks that contain caffeine - these days there are many so-called ‘soft- drinks' that contain caffeine and are listed under the genre of ‘energy drinks'. 

Be careful; be very, very careful with these so-called ‘soft' drinks especially with children and young teens and especially if you have any problems with your heart. Currently there are also many alcoholic pre-mixed drinks available as well.  It's a frightening thought that the ‘soft' drink is already a dangerous cocktail of chemicals on its own and then the alcoholic beverage manufactures add alcohol.  Is it any wonder that our young adults and teens are having so many more problems with the consumption of pre-mixed alcoholic beverages that taste just like a ‘soft' drink? 

The Chemical Nightmare

For those of us with chemical sensitivities, food allergies and salicylate sensitivity, these drinks can be a nightmare and cause all sorts of allergic responses; even in very small amounts some of these ingredients may cause life threatening allergic reactions in very sensitive individuals. 

For a little while I found myself in an addiction to coca-cola.  When I read up on the ingredients involved I was horrified to realise what I was drinking and that it really was playing havoc with my body resulting in persistent rashes and itching amoung other symptoms. What was even more horrific to me was the fact that three out of the 6 ingredients involved were also ingredients used in the processing of cigarettes (that's not including the extra ingredients in diet coke and coke zero). I had already quit smoking (yes, naughty me, I WAS a smoker, a subject we will delve into another time) and was drinking this soft-drink on a regular basis. 

Having found out what I was actually drinking made me feel a lot of anger toward the manufacturers of this drink, because they know the hazards and dangers involved, they know that one addiction can to feed into another, they know the dangers of the chemical ingredients involved, they simply don't care!  And as I have said before ... THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY!

According to Australian food standards, ingredients must be listed in descending order (by ingoing weight). This means that when the food/drink was manufactured, the first ingredient listed contributed the largest amount; and the last ingredient listed contributed the least amount, compared to the other ingredients. So, if sugar is listed near the start of the ingredients list the product contains a greater proportion of this ingredient.

Some of The above information has been sourced from Food Standards Australia and New Zealand website http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/

 

So let's start with that popular Cola drink.

Here is the ingredients list as set out on the drink's label:-

Carbonated water, sugar, colour (150d), food acid (338), flavour, caffeine

It doesn't seem like much, does it?  It's only 6 ingredients and one of them isn't really specified.

 

Time to break it down:  Scalpels ready ... ?

Carbonated water	Sugar	Colour (150d)	Food Acid (338)	Flavour	Caffeine
Water that has been carbonated using Carbon Dioxide	Also known as Cane sugar, also known as Sucrose. A 375ml can has approx. 13 teaspoons of sugar	Also known as Caramel, Caustic Sulphite, Ammonia, Sulphite Ammonia Caramels; may be GE	Also known as Phosphoric Acid and is made from phosphoric rock	Unspecified	Obtained as a by-product of decaffeinated coffee
PURPOSE It serves as effervescence	PURPOSE It serves as a sweetener,  preservative	PURPOSE It serves as colouring - brown and flavouring	PURPOSE It serves as a food acid	PURPOSE It serves as flavouring	PURPOSE It serves as a flavouring
There are no known ill-health effects.	It's potential health effects include-  dental caries; obesity; Neuro-toxicity; teratogen; devoid of nutrition; on NIH hazards list	Its potential health effects include- Hyperactivity; gastro-intestinal symptoms; kidney, liver and caecum enlargements in experimental rats	Its potential health effects include- Neuro-toxicity; severe eye & skin irritation; tooth enamel erosion; osteoporosis	Its potential health effects include- **See below for the facts about ‘flavour'	Its potential health effects include- Cancer; hyperactivity; SIDS; insomnia, glaucoma, restlessness, arrhythmia; liver- neuro- gastrointestinal- kidney- and musculoskeletal- toxicity; affects blood sugar levels; teratogen; on NIH hazards list
If you want more info on its uses check out http://www.wikipedia.com/ or other internet search options	Its typical and other uses include- medications, processed sweetener, cosmetics	Its typical and other uses include- biscuits, packet soup, beer, soft drink, whisky, pickled onions, cosmetics and skin lotions and cigarettes	Its typical and other uses include- Soft drinks, cream cheese, cheese, cottage cheese, hair tonic, nail polish, metal polish and cigarettes		Its typical and other uses include- Liqueurs, cola-type beverages, chocolate, confectionary pharmaceuticals and Cigarettes

  

**Flavour** 

It has been difficult to find out exactly what the ‘flavour' is, as flavours are considered to be a ‘trade secret' and don't have to be specific or individually listed.

According to Wikipedia, the flavour in Coca Cola is thought to be a mixture of:  orange, cinnamon, lemon, coriander, nutmeg, Neroli (from the Bitter Orange tree).  Whether these flavours are ‘natural' or artificial is questionable.   My research uncovered the following facts found on website http://www.fedup.com.au/; you can make your own decision on the origin of these ingredients, keeping in mind that the manufacturers of these products do not have your good health and the health of your family as their top priority.

Flavoured Laws

Under the new regulations, flavours must be declared in the ingredient list as either ‘flavour' or ‘flavouring', or a specific name or description of the flavouring such as ‘vanilla'. There's no mention of natural or artificial, and although the food manufacturers know whether they are using artificial flavouring substances, the consumer does not. Should you be concerned?

If you studied high school chemistry, you probably made artificial banana flavour as part of the curriculum. It's done by combining amyl alcohol and acetic acid in the laboratory using sulphuric acid as a catalyst and not a banana in sight.

You will probably remember the result, a chemical called amyl acetate that smells surprisingly like ripe bananas - because it's the dominant flavour chemical in bananas. If a solvent is used to extract this chemical from bananas, the resulting amyl acetate is then regarded as a natural flavour, despite being the same chemical as the amyl acetate made without bananas.

Other flavour chemicals include ethyl propionate for a fruity flavour, cinnamic aldehyde for cinnamon, and diacetyl for butter and there are several thousand more.

 

IF YOU DECIDE TO DRINK COKE ZERO OR DIET COKE TO ESCAPE THE ‘SUGAR' IN COKE, THEN PERHAPS THE FOLLOWING MAY CAUSE YOU TO THINK AGAIN - THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS ARE ADDED TO THE BASIC COKE FORMULA ABOVE AND LISTED ON THE LABELS OF EACH PRODUCT
Phenylalanine	Food Acid (330)	Food Acid (331)	Sweetener (950)	Sweetener (951)	Preservative (211)
Essential Amino Acid	Also known as Citric Acid and derived from citrus fruits	Also known as Sodium Citrates, Monosodium citrate, Disodium citrate, Trisodium citrate	Also known as Acesulphame Potassium Acesulfame K (potassium salt of 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazin-4-(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide	Also known as Aspartame, NutraSweet, Equal Measure (derived from phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol, it accounts for over 75% of adverse reaction to food additives reported to the FDA; may be of animal origin	Also known as Sodium Benzoate and derived from benzoic acid
PURPOSE It serves as an Artificial sweetener/Antistatic	PURPOSE It serves as food acid and flavouring	PURPOSE It serves as a Food acid Stabiliser	PURPOSE It serves as an artificial sweetener and oral care agent	PURPOSE It serves as an artificial sweetener	PURPOSE  Its serves as a preservative
Potential health effects: Restrict usage in sufferers of Phenylketonuria (PKU) which if not detected leads to mental deterioration in children	Its potential health effects include- It may aggravate celiac disease, tooth erosion with large doses and is on the NIH Hazards list	Its potential health effects include- Alters urinary excretion of some drugs making them less effective or more toxic	Its potential health effects include- May increase levels of cholesterol in the blood; caused cancer and tumors in animals	Its potential health effects include- Cancer, asthma, MS -like symptoms, headache, hyperactivity, fatigue, anxiety, dizziness, migraine, memory loss, depression, insomnia, irritability, impotence, epilepsy, blindness, diabetes, neuralgia, seizures, plus at least 80 others.	Its potential health effects include- Liver-, kidney- and neuro-toxicity, asthma, gastric burning, hyperactivity, allergic reactions in aspirin and chemical sensitive people, teratogen.
Its typical and other uses include- Artificial sweetener, hair conditioner and cigarettes	Its typical and other uses include- Biscuits, jam, fruit drinks, ice cream, cheese, soft drink, infant formula, skin freshener, hair rinse, eye lotion, freckle and nail bleach	Its typical and other uses include- Ice cream, fruit jellies, processed cheese, jam, evaporated milk, confectionary, cosmetics, cigarettes	Its typical and other uses include- Artificial sweeteners, chewing gum, soft drinks, canned fruit, baked goods, oral care products.	Its typical and other uses include- Artificial sweeteners, diet drinks, low-joule foods, low-joule chewing gum, confectionary, brewed soft drinks, anything which is sugar-free or without added sugar, in over 5,000 products.	Its typical and other uses include- Orange soft drink, relish, milk and meat products, condiments, baked goods, lollies, toothpaste, eye cream, vanishing cream, automotive corrosion inhibitor

 

Chemical Food Facts

• The fact is that most processed foods contain flavouring additives that have been made in giant chemical factories.
• There are more than two thousand approved flavouring chemicals that don't have to be described on food labels because they are considered to be closely guarded ‘trade secrets'.
• When the word ‘flavour(s)' appears on an ingredient list, it means those flavours have been man-made in a laboratory. Natural flavours, nature identical flavours and artificial flavours could contain exactly the same chemicals although consumers can't tell what's in them because of the secrecy surrounding flavour formulas.
• As author Eric Schlosser says in his bestselling book Fast Food Nation: ‘Natural and artificial flavours are now manufactured at the same chemical plants, places that few people would associate with Mother Nature. Calling any of these flavours "natural" requires a flexible attitude toward the English language and a fair amount of irony.'

It's the size of the dose that matters

The problem for some consumers is not how the flavour additive is made, but the size of the dose consumed. Because man-made flavours such as artificial strawberry are so cheap, it is easy to add a lot more than you would ever eat in one serve of a natural food. While few people are affected by the food chemicals in one strawberry, when consumers - especially children - consume concentrated doses of some of the chemicals above, and particularly if they consume them many times every day in different foods, they can be affected in a variety of ways.  

  

SOME EFFECTS INDUCED BY ADDITIVES

Health

• Headaches or migraines
• Rashes (hives, eczema, dermatitis, other itchy rashes)
• Stomach aches, bloating, reflux, constipation, bedwetting, and sneaky poos
• Asthma, frequent cough, stuffy or runny nose
• Frequent colds, flu, ear infections
• Joint pains, swelling of the joints
• Heart palpitations, fast heart beat, pseudo heart attack

Behaviour

• Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling asleep, frequent night waking, night terrors, restless legs syndrome)
• Restlessness (loud voice, irritable, easily distracted, demanding, easily bored)
• Irritability (touchy or easily annoyed, loses temper, throws tantrums)
• Oppositional defiance (temper outbursts, often says no, refuses requests, defies rules, angry)
• Inattention (forgetful, disorganised, foggy brain, dreamy)
• Anxiety (lethargic, depressed, panic attacks)
• Unhappiness (grizzly, miserable, cries frequently)

 

 

What a frightening cocktail of chemicals this so called ‘soft' drink is.  For the sake of your skin and your good health as well as the good health of your family, I urge you to give this information due consideration before you next buy a bottle of what some may consider to be brown poison.

 

... ... N E W S   F L A S H ... ...

Soft drink giant Coca Cola has announced plans to remove controversial preservative Sodium Benzoate211 from Diet Coke by the end of 2008, in response to consumer demand for more natural, safer products. Unfortunately this will take place only in the UK.  The Coca-cola company could not confirm if this would take place in any other country.  At this stage the formulation change only applies to Diet Coke, so other products such as Fanta and Sprite will continue to use Sodium Benzoate as a preservative

Source:

www.foodnavigator.com

 

 

 

MINI MEDICAL DICTIONARY Arrhythmia - is a term for any of a large and heterogeneous group of conditions in which there is abnormal electrical activity in the heart. Caecum - The caecum (also spelled cecum), the first portion of the large bowel, situated in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen. Gastrointestinal - refers to the digestive tract- it is the system of organs that takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and expels the remaining waste. Musculoskeletal - also known as the Locomotor system is an organ system that gives us the ability to physically move using the muscles and skeletal system. Neuro - refers to the functioning of the central and/or peripheral nervous system NIH - National Institutes of Health -provides a data bank of hazardous chemicals. Osteoporosis - is a disease of the bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture and breakage. Phenylketonuria - an inherited defect of protein metabolism causing an excess of phenylalanine in the blood which damages the nervous system and leads to severe mental retardation. Teratogen - Malformation of the developing fetus and other birth defects.