Light juomat!

A recent study was done to compare the effects of Coke and Diet Coke: two steaks were placed in separate bowls filled with soda, one with Coke and the other with Diet Coke. 48 hours later both steaks had dissolved, but in merely 36 hours the diet soda steak was gone. This study proves what soda does to our bodies - it decomposes our bones! In diet soda, more carbonation is put in to hide the DIET taste. Many health problems can occur from drinking soda: Osteoporosis in middle-aged women, stunted growth in children, and oral diseases such as Gingivitis and cavities.

Diet soda contains aspertame, an artificial sugar substitute that has been proven to be a leading contributor to cancer. Health physician, Dr. Lenus Louis, shared his educated view of diet soda and stated this, “Soda is not the leading factor in obesity in our society. If you want to shape up, eat healthy, drink more water, essentially reduce your beverage caloric intake without consuming aspertame, which can cause many types of cancer.” Our peers are under the impression that drinking diet soda is a pass to eat whatever they want, which actually leads them to GAIN weight. The most popular snack cake in America is the Twinkie; did you know it has a 99-year shelf life? Twinkies don’t decompose! Do you want that entering your gastric chamber? Because aspertame is a main ingredient in diet beverages, it can force diet soda through a chemical makeover. Did you know that when you leave diet soda in the heat (in your car), it actually turns into formaldehyde because of the aspertame. The United States Environmental Protection Agency describes formaldehyde as this: “Formaldehyde, a colorless, pungent-smelling gas, can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in some humans exposed at elevated levels. High concentrations may trigger attacks in people with asthma. Formaldehyde has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans. Health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; severe allergic reactions.” Is that really something you want to consume?

Many people try to eliminate their caloric intake from beverages, but that being said, water is the best way to go. Diet soda causes cancer and brittle bones. What’s in regular, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola? A can of Coke contains 140 calories, 39 grams of sugar, phosphoric acid, high fructose corn syrup (a sugar substitute), and caffeine. Does comsuming a can of high fructose corn syrup, sugar, acid, and more sugar even seem logical? The same problems occur in regular soda as in diet soda, except the fact that regular sugar doesn’t cause cancer - it causes obesity, and it isn’t a leading cause either.