[Reader-list] Thanda matlab coca cola - part 2

[Supreet Sethi]

As pointed by the first mail drinks containing carbonic acid effects bone 
formation. Calcium phosphate compound is the form in which we consume 
calcium required for formation and upkeep of bone structure. Reacting with 
phosphate form carbonic acid forms Calcium carbonate (hydrate) which AFAIK 
cannot be assimilated by enzymes. Thus regular consumption of soft drinks 
can be harmful.

etc and supreet


On Mon, Jan 06, 2003 at 09:47:55AM +0100, Menso Heus wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 06, 2003 at 11:54:49AM +0530, Yazad Jal wrote:
> > Very interesting, just a few questions.
> > 
> > 1. What is the source of the data? "75% of Americans are chronically
> > dehydrated" is a major statement to make. Is there research to back it up?
> > Maybe a citation would help.
> > 
> > 2. I hold no brief for the Coca-Cola Company. But why single out Coke? Do
> > Pepsi / Thums Up etc not fall in the same category? Are they devoid of all
> > the fantastic "benefits" Coke gives us? What about non-cola aerated drinks
> > like Limca / Fanta / 7 Up etc? What about non-aerated soft drinks like
> > Rasna? On a closer reading this sounds like a smear campaign against Coke.
> > Maybe the focus should be on the generic category, or on _all_ brands within
> > the category. If only Coke and not say Pepsi has all these harmful effects,
> > then perhaps one should state that.
> > 
> > These are very serious statements. I would like to know more about the
> > research on which it is based.
> 
> It isn't based on any research, but on urban legends. A simple query in
> Google pops up the following 'Coke Lore' page with these specific examples
> and the following explanation:
> 
> That you can cook and clean with Coke is relatively meaningless from a safety standpoint -- 
> you can use a wide array of common household substances (including water) for the same 
> purposes; that doesn't necessarily make them dangerous. The fact is that all carbonated soft 
> drinks contain carbonic acid, which is moderately useful for tasks such as removing stains and 
> dissolving rust deposits (although plain soda water is much better for such purposes than 
> Coca-Cola or other soft drinks, as it doesn't leave a sticky sugar residue behind). Carbonic 
> acid is relatively weak, however, and people have been drinking carbonated water for many 
> years with no detrimental effects. 
> The rest of the claims offered here are, in a word, stupid. Coca-Cola does contain small 
> amounts of citric acid (from the orange, lemon, and lime oils in its formula) and phosphoric 
> acid. However, all the insinuations about the dangers these acids might pose to people who 
> drink Coca-Cola ignore a simple concept familiar to any first-year chemistry student: 
> concentration. Coca-Cola contains less citric acid than orange juice does, and the 
> concentration of phosphoric acid in Coke is far too small (a mere 11 to 13 grams per gallon of 
> syrup, or about 0.20 to 0.30 per cent of the total formula) to cause harm. The only people who 
> proffer the ridiculous statements that Coca-Cola will dissolve a steak, a tooth, or a nail in 
> a day or two are people who have never actually tried any of these things, because they just 
> don't happen. (Anyone who conducts these experiments will find himself at the end of two days 
> with a whole tooth, a whole nail, and one very soggy t-bone.) 
> The next time you're stopped by a highway patrolman, try asking him if he's ever cleaned blood 
> stains off a highway with Coca-Cola. If you're lucky, by the time he stops laughing he'll have 
> forgotten about the citation he was going to give you. 
>  
> 
> This and other myths on Coke can be found here: 
> http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/
> 
> 
> bye,
> 
> Menso
> 
> -- 
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