Drinking Too Much Cola Unhealthy
Doctors are Warning Against High Soft Drink Consumption
Cola drinks taken in large quantities can cause blood potassium to drop to dangerously low levels according to a research paper published in the June 2009 issue of the International Journal of Clinical Practice (IJCP). The author of the paper is Dr. Moses Elisaf from the University of Ioannina in Greece. He says that the lowering of potassium levels, called hypokalemia, is probably caused by glucose, fructose, and caffeine, which are three of the most common ingredients in cola.
Worldwide Cola Consumption
According to just-drinks.com, worldwide consumption of soft drinks in 2007 was 552 billion litres. That works out to 83.6 litres for every child, woman, and man on the planet. By 2012, consumption is expected to rise to 95 litres per person.
People living in impoverished regions drink little or no pop, so some nations are consuming a lot more to bring up the average. One of the high consumers is the United States where each American quaffs an average of 212 litres of soft drinks annually.
Such high levels of pop consumption do cause health problems. Here’s what the IJCP says: “Sugar-sweetened soft drinks have been shown to cause obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental decay, and metabolic syndrome. They appear also to increase the risk for osteoporosis, gout, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hypovitaminosis C, albuminuria. and chronic kidney disease.”
Extreme Cola Drinking
Some people’s consumption of cola far exceeds the average and this leads to different medical problems. The IJCP report cites the example of an Australian ostrich farmer. He “developed sudden onset of muscle weakness after returning home from an evening of kangaroo-shooting. He had difficulty in getting out of his bath and was unable to stand while waiting for help to arrive. His respiratory status deteriorated, and he required intubation and mechanical ventilation.”
It turned out that his daily intake of cola was around four litres, but when out hunting kangaroos he would drink as much as 10 litres to slake the thirst he developed in the hot and dry Australian outback.
The cola had seriously depleted the potassium levels in his blood. When he cut down on his consumption he made a full recovery.
High Cola Consumption not Unusual
Writing about the IJCP report BBC News (May 19, 2009) said, “Manufacturers insist the products are safe when consumed in moderation.”
The news organization also quoted Dr. Clifford Packer from the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Centre in Ohio as saying that very high levels of cola drinking is not rare. “With aggressive mass marketing,” said Dr. Parker, “super-sizing of soft drinks, and the effects of caffeine tolerance and dependence, there is very little doubt that tens of millions of people in industrialized countries drink at least two to three litres of cola per day.”
He added that “It follows that the serum potassium levels of these heavy cola drinkers are dropping, in some cases, to dangerous low levels.”
Cut Back on Soft Drinks for Better Health.
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