Hi All!

I went through a very interesting publication and I'd like to copy it here to let you read it. I'm a healthy man above 45 and according to my own experience I began getting issues with my bones after drinking Coke for a long period of time. These issues included neck pain, feet pain, toes problems, joint problems, etc. From the very first view it looked like artritis. But what a hell! It started so rapidly with no signs at all! Sometimes the pain was so terrible that I was unable to walk. These issues totally dissappeared after I stopped drinking Coke. It was interesting to understand the reason. One of my educations is chemistry and I spent some time thinking about possible correlation and reasons of my issues. To my surprise this problem was not new and I found many different articles on the Internet. Here is one of them.

People, you'd better think about your health before you started getting problems and it's too late to do something.

I hope to read here the comments and opinions from professional doctors.

Dimi

You can read this article right here on the forum or open the original web page here:
http://www.webmd.com/ost...tures/soda-osteoporosis

Soda and Osteoporosis: Is There a Connection?

By Gina Shaw, WebMD
Feature Reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson Mathis, MD

Does this sound like you? While everyone else is at Starbucks getting their morning latte, you're at the vending machine picking up a Diet Coke. And if you're going to a movie, the popcorn just wouldn't be complete without a large soda. But there may be a link between soda and osteoporosis that could be putting your bones at risk.

When Soda Displaces Milk

Experts aren't sure why drinking soda is linked to osteoporosis. It may be simply that the soda is displacing healthier drinks in your diet. If you're guzzling a Pepsi with dinner (or breakfast!) you're probably not drinking the glass of milk or fortified orange juice that nutritionists recommend.

"There is an association between people who have high soda intake and risk of fracture, but that's probably due to the fact that if they have a high soda intake, they have a low milk intake," agrees Robert Heaney, MD, FACP, a professor of medicine at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., and a nationally recognized expert on osteoporosis.

"Those things have been shown to be linked in various studies. But when you look at the ingredients of the soda and give those to healthy people and measure what it does to their calcium composition, nothing happens at all."

"Individuals who drink a lot of soft drinks aren't going to drink as much nutritious liquid as others," says Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. "We're simply not going to consume beyond a certain volume each day."

So, if you just remember to drink a glass of milk for every can of Diet Coke, you'll be fine, right? Not necessarily.

Soda and Osteoporosis: The Cola Connection

New research indicates that there may be more to the soda and osteoporosis connection than simply replacing the good stuff with the useless stuff.

Researchers at Tufts University, studying several thousand men and women, found that women who regularly drank cola-based sodas -- three or more a day -- had almost 4% lower bone mineral density in the hip, even though researchers controlled for calcium and vitamin D intake. But women who drank non-cola soft drinks, like Sprite or Mountain Dew, didn't appear to have lower bone density.

Soda and Osteoporosis: Possible Culprits

Phosphoric acid, a major component in most sodas, may be to blame, according to lead study author Katherine Tucker, PhD.

Phosphorus itself is an important bone mineral. But if you're getting a disproportionate amount of phosphorus compared to the amount of calcium you're getting, that could lead to bone loss.

Another possible culprit is caffeine, which experts have long known can interfere with calcium absorption. In the Tufts study, both caffeinated and non-caffeinated colas were associated with lower bone density. But the caffeinated drinks appeared to do more damage.

This study isn't the last word on the subject. Some experts point out that the amount of phosphoric acid in soda is minimal compared to that found in chicken or cheese. And no one's telling women to stop eating chicken.

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Smart Steps for Soda Lovers

Whether the apparent soda and osteoporosis link is due to effects of the soda itself or simply because soda drinkers get less of other, healthier beverages, it's clear that you need to be extra-vigilant about your bone health if you're a soda fiend.

"Soda drinkers need to pay extra attention to getting calcium from other sources," says Dawson-Hughes.

A few steps you can take to boost your bone health:

Can't give soda up entirely? Cut out one or two cans a day (depending on how much you drink). The Tufts study indicates that it might help to switch to a non-cola soda (like Sprite or Mountain Dew).

Better still, for every soda you skip, reach for a glass of milk or fortified orange juice instead. Not only will you be cutting back on any harmful effect from the soda itself, you'll be adding calcium. (If you're a diet soda drinker worried about calories, here's a plus: fat-free milk has even more calcium than higher-calorie whole milk.)

Have a breakfast cereal fortified with calcium -- and pour milk on top.
Add milk instead of water when you prepare things like pancakes, waffles, and cocoa.
Add nonfat powdered dry milk to all kinds of recipes -- puddings, cookies, breads, soups, gravy, and casseroles. One tablespoon adds 52 mg of calcium. You can add three tablespoons per cup of milk in puddings, cocoa and custard; four tablespoons per cup of hot cereal (before cooking); and 2 tablespoons per cup of flour in cakes, cookies and breads.

Take a calcium and vitamin D supplement if you aren't getting enough calcium (1000-1300 mg, depending on your age) in your diet.

Get plenty of weight-bearing and resistance exercise.

Here is the update:

Cancer fear over cola colourings: Call to ban ingredient used in Coke and Pepsi

By Sean Poulter
Last updated at 9:57 AM on 17th February 2011

Read more

An ingredient used in Coca-Cola and Pepsi is a cancer risk and should be banned, an influential lobby group has claimed.

The concerns relate to an artificial brown colouring agent that the researchers say could be causing thousands of cancers.

‘The caramel colouring used in Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other foods is contaminated with two cancer-causing chemicals and should be banned,’ said the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a health lobby group based in Washington, DC.

‘In contrast to the caramel one might make at home by melting sugar in a saucepan, the artificial brown colouring in colas and some other products is made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulphites under high pressure and temperatures.

‘Chemical reactions result in the formation of two substances known as 2-MI and 4-MI which in government-conducted studies caused lung, liver, or thyroid cancer or leukaemia in laboratory mice or rats.’
America’s National Toxicology Program says that there is ‘clear evidence’ that both 2-MI and 4-MI are animal carcinogens, and therefore likely to pose a risk to humans.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, found significant levels of 4-MI in five brands of cola.



The executive director of the CSPI, Michael F Jacobson, has petitioned America’s food regulator, the Food & Drug Administration, to take action.He said: ‘Carcinogenic colourings have no place in the food supply, especially considering that their only function is a cosmetic one.’
Mr Jacobson said the name ‘caramel colouring’ does not accurately describe the additives, explaining: ‘It’s a concentrated dark brown mixture of chemicals that simply does not occur in nature.’



He added that while regular caramel could not be described as healthy, ‘at least it is not tainted with carcinogens’.

U.S. regulations distinguish between four types of caramel colouring, two of which are produced with ammonia and two without it. The CSPI wants the two made with ammonia to be banned and has received backing from five prominent cancer experts, including several who have worked at the National Toxicology Program.

The type used in colas and other dark soft drinks is known as Caramel IV, or ammonia sulphite process caramel. Caramel III, which is produced with ammonia but not sulphites, is sometimes used in beer, soy sauce, and other foods.

The CSPI admitted that any risk associated with consumption of the chemicals would be extremely small. It said the ten teaspoons of sugar found in a can of regular cola would be more of a health problem.
However, it argued the levels of 4-MI in the tested colas still may be causing thousands of cancers in the U.S. population alone.

Earlier this week, it was claimed that Coca-Cola’s secret recipe had been leaked. It was even suggested it might be possible to recreate the taste and look on the kitchen table.

The leak claims were denied by the company, where a spokesman said: ‘Many third parties have tried to crack our secret formula. Try as they might, they’ve been unsuccessful because there is only one “Real Thing”.’
Coca-Cola and Pepsi did not respond to a request for a response to the CSPI claims.

This morning Coca-Cola rejected the CSPI’s concerns.

A spokesman said: ‘Our beverages are completely safe. CSPI’s statement irresponsibly insinuates that the caramel used in our beverages is unsafe and maliciously raises cancer concerns among consumers.

'This does a disservice to the very public for which CSPI purports to serve.

‘Studies show that the caramel we use does not cause cancer.’

The company said its drinks do not contain 2-MEI. It said they do contain 4-MEI in trace amounts.

It said: ‘These extrapolations by CSPI to human health and cancer are totally unfounded.’



And one more old article article:

Coca-cola to phase out controversial chemical linked to hyperactivity and gene damage

By Colin Fernandez
Last updated at 8:41 PM on 25th May 2008

Soft drink giant Coca-Cola is phasing out a controversial additive that has been linked to hyperactivity and causing damage to DNA.

The chemical Sodium Benzoate, also known as E211, is used to stop fizzy drinks going mouldy.

But recent research has shown that the chemical can deactivate parts of DNA, the genetic code in the cells of living creatures.



Coca-Cola said it was withdrawing the additive from Diet Coke in response to consumer demand for more natural products.

The move will mean that by the end of the year no can will contain E211 - and it plans to remove it from its other products as soon as possible.

But the company said at present it had not found a satisfactory alternative to replace the additive in some soft drinks with a higher juice content including Fanta and Dr Pepper.

Other fizzy drinks made by rival companies, such as Irn-Bru, Pepsi Max and Lucozade will continue to contain the additive.

While the chemical occurs naturally in some fruits, such as prunes, apples and cranberries, it is used in much greater strengths by the soft drinks industry.

Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology research at Sheffield University found that the additive could switch off vital parts of DNA that could be linked to cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's disease.

He has also called for further research into the chemical.

In combination with vitamin C (CORR) sodium benzoate can form a potentially cancer-causing substance, benzene.

However the government-backed Committee on Mutagenicity - which investigates whether chemicals cause cancer - has dismissed the research.

The panel argue that while Sodium Benzoate has been shown to be harmful to yeast cells, it argues that human cells are stronger.

But Professor Piper called the dismissal a 'whitewash' that failed to take into account modern techniques of monitoring DNA damage.

Research by Southampton University found that sodium benzoate was one of seven additives - the six others being food colours -that can lead to hyperactivity.

The Food Standards Agency called for the six colours to be withdrawn from UK products - although sodium benzoate has been allowed to remain.

Coca-Cola said it had begun removing sodium benzoate from Diet Coke production in January.

A company spokesperson said: 'We are continuously looking at emerging trends and listening to our consumers thoughts about ingredients.

'For a number of years we have been moving towards non-artificial colours, flavours and preservatives where possible in our drinks.

'We are looking to phase out the use of sodium benzoate where technically possible.'

The company stressed that E211 was an approved additive by many worldwide bodies including the European Food Standards Agency.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co....mage.html#ixzz1Hym6GCbM

A few more articles can be found here:

http://www.dailymail.co....ax-Coca-Cola-Pepsi.html

http://www.ma-vip.com/co...rigger-cancer-1545.html

http://www.newser.com/st...ed-to-cancer-study.html

http://www.newser.com/st...g-giving-us-cancer.html

http://www.buzzbox.com/n...cola/?clusterId=3280823

http://thelibertyguardia...tivist-call-fda-to-ban/

http://www.sott.net/arti...-used-in-Coke-and-Pepsi

Hey Paula, did you think how it works with different Coke flavors? It can be a very good addition to children parties, not for drinking of course!