My weakness is caffeine-free Diet Coke. For me, soda and popcorn go hand-in-hand. Well, even though I am drinking diet I have to remember I am not sitting pretty. Soda affects tooth decay, tooth discoloration, and for those that do not choose diet, weight gain.
Tooth Decay
Any drink that is carbonated has a low pH level. What,you ask? Let me explain. The process of carbonation adds carbon dioxide and results in the formation of carbonic acid. This acid lowers the pH of a beverage. A pH of 1 is acidic and 7 is neutral. Battery acid has a pH of 1; water has a pH of 7. The pH of Pepsi is 2.49, Coke is 2.63, and Mountain Dew is 3.22. The acid in soda can damage tooth enamel in just 20 minutes. Think about how you usually drink your soda. Do you drink a 12 oz. can in 5 to 10 minutes, or are you sipping on it over a period of an hour or so? You can help combat the effects of carbonic acid by drinking your soda in less than 20 minutes and rinsing your mouth with water afterwards. Saliva also helps neutralize the acid. Don’t forget to protect your children’s teeth! Children are even more susceptible to tooth erosion because their tooth enamel is not fully developed.
Tooth Discoloration
Habitual soda drinkers are adding layers of sugar, which turn to layers of plaque on their teeth. This plaque then absorbs stains from food products. This is how dark colored sodas lead to tooth discoloration. Bye, bye pearly whites!
Weight Gain
A 12-ounce can of regular soda contains about 150 calories. If you drink one can every day, you consume 4,200 calories from soda each month, and 50,400 calories from soda each year. This is equal to an extra 14-1/2 pounds of body weight. Most people do not limit themselves to just 12 ounces a day... one 20-ounce bottle of regular soda daily would be an additional 26 pounds each year.
So, as you kick back and enjoy that acidic, staining, waist expanding can of soda, maybe you should think about splurging on a fancy bottle so you can switch it up and enjoy some refreshing water once in awhile instead!
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According to allsideeffects.net:
Side effects
Aspartame is not registered as a drug, so there is no accurate data about what percentage of people experience side effects. However, there are reports that aspartame may cause the following reactions:
Eyes:
Visual deterioration and/or blurred vision (blurred images), bright flashes of various stripes in front of the eyes, a sharp narrowing of the visual field (tubular vision), blurred vision at night.
Pain in one or both eyes
Reduction or disappearance of formation of tears
Emergence of problems when using contact lenses, which were not previously experienced
Bulging of eyeballs.
Organ of hearing:
Tinnitus: ringing or rumbling
Intolerance of extraneous sounds
Poor hearing
Nervous system:
Epileptic seizures
Headaches of various kinds, migraine
Dizziness and unsteady gait
Mental confusion
Drowsiness
Paresthesia or numbness of limbs
Atypical facial pain
Tremor (trembling) of the limbs and head
Psyche:
Depression
Irritability
Aggression
Anxiety
Insomnia
Chest:
Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
A feeling of shortness of breath
Increased blood pressure
Gastrointestinal tract:
Nausea
Loose stools
Abdominal pain
Pain during swallowing
Skin:
Itching without a rash
Reaction on the lips and oral cavity
Urticaria, i.e., itchy blisters
Aggravation of respiratory allergies such as asthma
Endocrine system:
Loss of control over blood sugar levels
Menstrual disorders
Hair thinning or hair loss
Loss of body weight
Increase in body weight
Fall of blood glucose (hypoglycemia)
Worsening of premenstrual syndrome
Others:
frequent urination and burning pain during urination
excessive thirst, water retention in the body, swelling of the feet
increased susceptibility to infections
In very rare cases, aspartame poisoning leads to the following critical symptoms:
birth defects, including mental retardation
peptic ulcer
addiction to aspartame and uncontrollable sweet cravings
hyperactivity in children
severe depression
aggressive behavior and suicidal tendencies
There is evidence that in very rare cases, Aspartame can provoke the emergence of the following diseases and conditions:
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Polio-like enteroviral state
Meniere’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
Epilepsy
Multiple sclerosis
Hypothyroidism
Temperature sensitivity of dental fillings
Fibromyalgia
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Lipoma
Attention deficit disorder
Intake of aspartame may cause deterioration the state of such diseases as:
Brain tumor
Multiple sclerosis
Chronic hyperthermia syndrome
Mental retardation
Parkinson’s disease
Epilepsy
Lymphoma
Diabetes
Fibromyalgia
Aspartame is used in the manufacture of more than 5,000 different food products. When taking aspartame tablets as a substitute for sugar, you should listen carefully to your body’s reactions, and in case of any adverse symptoms stop taking aspartame, because all the symptoms regress when the drug is withdrawn.
Flag as inappropriate Posted by Taximom5 on 31st October 2012