Healthbolt

201 opinions for What Happens To Your Body If You Drink A Coke Right Now?

• franky4eyes (Check me out!)
  Dec 8, 2006 at 5:16 pm

  That’s neat information, but do you have any credible sources to cite? As far as anyone knows, this information could be equivalent to your mom telling you not to make funny faces because they’ll become permanent.
  

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  1.8

• MrChonks (Check me out!)
  Dec 8, 2006 at 5:20 pm

  In addition to the latter, what about drinking Diet Coke? Does the body react similarly to aspartame?
  

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  2.5

• muggins (Check me out!)
  Dec 8, 2006 at 5:53 pm

  Wow. Although I can’t say that I’m surprised. I would be interested to know if aspartame or Splenda has the same or similar effect on your body. Where did you get this info - sounds like an interesting info source!
  

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  3.1

• Wade (Check me out!)
  Dec 8, 2006 at 6:20 pm

  I’ll get my sources together and post them along with the article (most of them online, but I also had an MD consult on this article about some blood chemistry issues. He mainly just looked over the article and said that it was on the up and up after he corrected some of the time line issues.)
  

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  2.5

• Aaron (Check me out!)
  Dec 8, 2006 at 6:43 pm

  I’ve been searching online for some information about the caffeine levels in different sodas. I would love to see a chart comparing the caffeine levels in different sodas or other popular caffeinated drinks. (coffee, tea, redbull)
  

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  2.8 (1 people)

• Dtorro (Check me out!)
  Dec 8, 2006 at 7:42 pm

  Here is a chart

  http://www.powershot.ca/site/index.php?l=eng&c=red&s=ac

  [editor’s note: this looks suspiciously like a plug, and the chart isn’t that helpful at all. See the comment below for a complete chart of caffeine containing beverages.]
  

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  3.2

• Wade (Check me out!)
  Dec 8, 2006 at 7:44 pm

  As requested I’ve added a further reading/sources section.

  MrChonks, Aspertame and other artificial sweeteners have to been shown to have a similar effect on your system. They’re fairly good at fooling your body chemistry as well as your taste buds.

  Aaron, you want to look right here for a list of caffeine levels.
  

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  2.5

• aantix (Check me out!)
  Dec 8, 2006 at 9:56 pm

  All the more reason as to why you shouldn’t use cola as a source of hydration.

  Jim
  RunFatBoy ( http://www.runfatboy.net ) - Exercise for the rest of us.
  

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  2.5

• jdid (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 3:39 pm

  You didn’t disclose how much coke you were talking about, 10 tsps of sugar is about 46 grams, maybe a little more. A 12oz can of soda has 39g at most. A recommended allowance is about 300g of carbs/day. One 12-16oz coke is not going to be 100% of your daily needs… or did you mean 10%? Even in diabetic patients… they need 4 oz of coke (or other sugary drink) just to get out of hypoglycemia (BG
  

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  3.2

• overhaul (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 6:42 pm

  I think this neatly falls into this category:
  http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/contactus/myths_rumors/index.html
  Why is that?
  How come that people sued cigarette corporations for causing lung cancer, and even Mcdonalds for obesity, and no single one smart lawyer figured that money sack like coke or pepsi can make rich some fat citizen with unwell liver (and offcourse lawyer who figured it can win the case, because some scientific investigation can actually proove any of this)?
  Can bees honey be even more fatal? How much shugar is in teaspoon of honey? Lethal dose?
  

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  1.8

• TomD (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 8:38 pm

  From to Snopes.com, a debunking web site:

  “Additionally, the idea that one must specifically drink water because the diuretic effects of caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, and soda actually produce a net loss of fluid appears to be erroneous. The average person retains about half to two-thirds the amount of fluid taken in by consuming these types of beverages, and those who regularly consume caffeinated drinks retain even more:”

  http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp
  

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  3.1

• TomD (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 8:41 pm

  According to Wikipedia, consumption of cafeine results in “…in increased alertness and wakefulness, faster and clearer flow of thought, increased focus, and better general body coordination…”

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafeine#Effects
  

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  3.1

• Poop_heaD (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 8:49 pm

  Ya but carbohydrates and sugars are kinda different. Yes sugars are carbohydrates but they are simple sugars that will go right through your system and be turned into fat like the article says. Other carbohydrates like whole grains take longer to break down and are better carbs/sugars for you. You also can’t just say well your supposed to get so many carbs, fats, protiens a day. Cause you just cant eat a cup of sugar and take a vitamin and be “healthy” Sugars and Carbs are not equal.
  

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  2.5

• TomD (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 8:50 pm

  According to Wikipedia, “It has been claimed that an excess of phosphorus may lead to poor bone density. However medical research indicates that exactly the opposite is the case” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphoric_acid#Biological_effects_on_bone_calcium

  So apparently the people who have studied this phenomenon-first hand have exactly the opposite opinion of you.
  

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  3.1

• lmr (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 8:50 pm

  Aspartame is a dangerous ingredient in diet products. Just google it and you’ll find that it breaks down into many components that are harmful to the body, methanol and formaldehyde to name just a few. I’ll take real sugar anyday, of course, the key is moderation.
  

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  1.8

• TomD (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 8:57 pm

  Provocative artical - it provoked me to do some research.

  Let’s put things in context. The definition of a poison is in the dosage. For example, too much salt can kill you, but you need it to survive. There is no such thing as something which is all bad or all good in the real world.

  The key is to quantify, something you did little of in your article. If you can’t quantify something then you don’t really understand it.

  - How much nutrients are supposedly removed from your body? 1%? 99%?
  - How much water is supposedly washed out of your body? 1%? 99?

  If you knew the answers to these questions, you would be a scientist, not a quack.
  

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  3.1

• TomD (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 9:00 pm

  Your claim that aspartame is dangerous is not supported by science. Aspartame is the most studied food additive in history, and there has not been a single study supporting its hazards. If there were one, don’t you think the FDA would have pulled it from the market?
  

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  3.1

• Wade (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 9:20 pm

  Good comments, guys. I’m not a scientist and this is no research paper. I’m a part time blogger and this article is a “distilling of information” that many sources, online and off, agree with. I’m glad it’s sparking this kinds of discussion; that’s it intent.

  Having said all that, I’ll try and field a few comments/criticisms…

  -As far as the amount of Coke concerned, it’s a generalization (like I said, it’s not research). The article says “a Coke” which I’m assuming would mean a 12oz. can or 16oz. bottle depending on what sort vending machine you’re standing next to at the time. Either way it will have at least 40g of sugar in it.

  -Concerning the 10% of daily CARBOHYDRATE requirement vs. the 100% of sugar thing: I was talking about sugar recommendations, not carbs. Sugars are carbohydrates, but they are not universally the same thing.

  -As far as poisons and quantity, this is a great point. For instance: Oxygen is a toxic gas, it’s corrosive and can kill you. But not in small quantities, in small quantities it keeps you alive. Anyway, one Coke will do all this stuff to your body and that’s probably not a bad thing. But if you do it multiple times a day for years, you’ll have a caffeine addiction that you’ll physically experience withdraw from shuold you stop, not to mention a host of other very serious medical problems, so I want people to think about that.

  -I don’t know the amount of nutrients it takes form your body. I couldn’t find specific measurements for this anywhere, but no matter what the amount is, it’s a nutrient that’s being taken away from your body. So imbibe with salt.

  Thanks for jumping in guys!
  

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  2.6 (1 people)

• lelaiskandar (Check me out!)
  Dec 9, 2006 at 9:38 pm

  That’s why every righteous soul should start drinking freshly squeezed juice. Not NAKED or POM.

  But real juice. It’s that simple. But some are dumb enough and drink those packed juices. Dumb! Dumb!
  

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  1.9

• PROSTREET (Check me out!)
  Dec 12, 2006 at 6:13 pm

  I have consumed multiple Cokes daily for forty years. While I agree with your statement on a caffeine addiction, your host of other ailments claim is preposterous. I drank Coca Cola virtually exclusively most of those years and only recently added water and orange juice to my liquid intake. Oh yeah I am neither obese nor unwell. COKE IS IT…..enjoy!
  

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  3.2

• bdabbs (Check me out!)
  Dec 13, 2006 at 7:07 am

  In all fairness, the “this is physically the same way heroin works, by the way” statement is true, but definitely misleading. This (dopamine production) is the same way exercise, being around friends, or playing a game (pretty much anything that makes us feel good) makes us feel good. Mentioning that it is a similar method to that which heroin uses is merely a smear-tactic; it is an attempt at negative association and is a flawed comparison. Using this argument is akin to saying that “City Buses are wheeled transports that can transport people and goods by ground; wheeled ground transports are the same way most drug dealers in the United States distribute their drugs.”
  

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  2.5

• Wade (Check me out!)
  Dec 13, 2006 at 7:45 am

  Good point, bdabbs. this is the way exercise works, or being around friends. However, it’s a reward your brain offers you for doing something good for you, like laughing or the aforementioned exercise. Stimulating these centers artificially, is dangerous if practiced regularly.

  From About.com:
  “Caffeine also increases dopamine levels in the same way that amphetamines do (heroine and cocaine also manipulate dopamine levels by slowing down the rate of dopamine re-uptake). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that, in certain parts of the brain, activates the pleasure center. Obviously, caffeine’s effect is much lower than heroin’s, but it is the same mechanism. It is suspected that the dopamine connection contributes to caffeine addiction.”

  My intention is not to smear, but to entertain and raise awareness. It’s not like I never drink a Coke, I just think all the stuff it kicks off in your body is really amazing. Especially considering how ubiquitous it has become in our society and around the world.
  

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  2.5

• hamilcar (Check me out!)
  Dec 13, 2006 at 7:50 am

  All you mental midgets need to take Biology 101 again at your local college. Pay extra close attention about the part that says the body is ~70% water. Hence, we need to intake water, not sugar water. Also, read the section in the Biology book about high fructose corn syrup, the stuff is bad for your body.
  

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  1.8

• PROSTREET (Check me out!)
  Dec 13, 2006 at 5:51 pm

  The human body must process water in many forms….otherwise I would have died long ago.
  

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  3.2

• kevbo (Check me out!)
  Dec 14, 2006 at 1:42 am

  This is stupid…….. i honestly want the minute back that i wasted reading and responding to this blog.
  

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  3.2

• snap_99 (Check me out!)
  Dec 14, 2006 at 8:40 am

  For anyone who’s interested, here’s the abstract for a paper that links cola consumption with decreased bone mass density in women. Men do not seem to be affected in the same statistically significant way.

  Tucker et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October, 2006, “Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study.”

  You can get the abstract from http://www.pubmed.gov but you need to have a subscription to the journal to read the rest of the study. I have a subscription through my university so that’s how I read it. There has been more research for this in adolescents than in the older population it seems, and there are a couple references to these papers in the Tucker et al. article.

  I’m part of the Killer Coke campaign (www.killercoke.org) which is based around supporting unions by boycotting Coca Cola because of a number of murders the company is responsible for. So naturally I’m a bit biased towards the consumption of cola/soft drinks in general. That being said, I think it’s sort of silly to worry too much about the health affects of cola. People do all sorts of stuff that’s bad for them; that’s part of life, you can trade some bone density for some wakefullness and the pleasure of drinking good tasting cola (assuming you like cola). It is good though to know the trade one is making though.
  

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  1.8

• wraith (Check me out!)
  Dec 14, 2006 at 2:46 pm

  If I may add something - I am not a biologist, but as I clearly remember from my biology lessons at school, liver turns glucose into glycogen which is, in fact, polysaccharide and has nothing to do with fat.
  Glycogen is used as a storage form for glucose - so liver actually works as a sort of battery, storing currently unneeded glucose for later use.
  The thing with fat really is that as you eat, usually you intake a lot of fat - but, since primary energy source is glucose and fat is only secondary, your body will use that stored glucose - and store fat for later use everywhere (mostly in places where you don’t want it to be). If you intake a lot of fat meals regularly, you body will accumulate a lot of fat - which it probably will never need as you are constantly supplying it with glucose, which, I repeat, is it’s primary energy source.
  As a result, you eventually will become obese.
  

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  2.5

• Hone (Check me out!)
  Dec 22, 2006 at 4:06 am

  You are not a biologist wraith and your description of how people become fat is completely wrong.
  

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  2.5

• thok (Check me out!)
  Dec 28, 2006 at 9:22 am

  “t is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.”

  so, this electrolyte you talk of

  what exactly is it again?

  “An electrolyte is a substance containing free ions which behaves as an electrically conductive medium.”

  yet you treat it as though electrolyte is a certain chemical?
  its like saying you evacuate all that stuff and liquid.
  electrolite is a catogory. not a substance.
  

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  2.5

• shaggyredditt (Check me out!)
  Jan 3, 2007 at 6:26 pm

  i am very interested in your article about coke and would like to use some of your data in a study of mine for a science fair if you don’t mind and i would be sure to include you as one of my resources in my research paper
  

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  2.5

• Marta (Check me out!)
  Jan 3, 2007 at 8:51 pm

  Coke also is sweetened with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) which is really bad for us. It’s packed with calories that our body doesn’t recognize. Actually shutting off our body’s natural appetite control switches, so we can eat and drink it far beyond what our body would normally be able to handle.
  

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  2.5

• bren1 (Check me out!)
  Jan 12, 2007 at 11:49 am

  i tried to stop smoking on the 010107 i did about 17 hrs none smoking the reason for this is i was asleep untill 5pm when i got up @ 5pm i had a fag it was great do u think i did good
  bren
  

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  2.5

• TillHizzy (Check me out!)
  Jan 19, 2007 at 10:02 pm

  I dunno theres something about a Coca-Cola that makes you feel better about your life and about yourself… It makes you skin fell good.. Ahhh! I love me a Coke..
  

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  2.5

• Tharakath (Check me out!)
  Jan 19, 2007 at 11:08 pm

  This person must be a Pepsi drinker.. what a hater!!
  

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  2.5

• mattblack04 (Check me out!)
  Jan 21, 2007 at 2:49 am

  Aspartame is a very dangerous chemical, although it is subtly and rarely dangerous. See, aspartame is NOT a natural ingredient, meaning nothing in nature makes it, unlike sugar. The chemical has been known to convert to formaldehyde at temperatures above 80 some degrees Fahrenheit. Nothing fatal, but enough to cause some upset stomachs and irritated bowels. In moderate consumption, a good amount of consumers reported headaches, upset stomach, and sometimes nausea. It has also made it harder for the body to convert fat into energy so weightloss becomes much more difficult. For more info, go here: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/nutraswt.htm
  this in one of many sites that have studies and facts relating to aspartame and sucralose (Splenda).

  Now not saying it is always dangerous. In low doses it is fine. However, the FDA does not pull it from the market because just that reason, it is okay in low doses. Just like the FDA has a maximum allowance of things such as insects and mouse droppings/hair in certain foods, both of which can be dangerous for humans to consume (the latter moreso) but the FDA does not ban it from being in food entirely because it is in such small doses it doesn’t pose that much of a thread. Link: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dalbook.html

  besides, not all simple sugar is converted to fat. Simple sugars really aren’t present in much soda as the sweetener in cola is actually fructose, which is a somewhat complex sugar being C6H12O6. These break down still quickly. This type of sugar is found naturally, like in corn and fruits, and is okay for the body. In fact, in most juices there is almost as much sugar as in a glass of soda (30+ grams for an 8 oz juice vs. 30+ for 8 oz of soda). Whatever sugar you do not burn up will over a couple of hours be converted to fat, but not immediately.

  Ok i’m done.
  

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  1.8

• Dukkhaman (Check me out!)
  Jan 30, 2007 at 5:02 pm

  Re: Aspartame. There IS clinical evidence that aspartame can worsen symptoms in patients with mood disorders such as depression. In addition, it makes sense to me that it could even initiate symptoms in those predisposed to these conditions, especially if the condition existed without having been diagnosed.

  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=Display&DB=pubmed

  In the above study:

  “… the project was halted by the Institutional Review Board after a total of 13 individuals had completed the study because of the severity of reactions within the group of patients with a history of depression.”

  and,

  researchers concluded, “…that individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to this artificial sweetener and its use in this population should be discouraged.”

  Considering the prevalence of mood disorders, especially in youths, this is quite alarming. Being on meds for depression, I no longer drink any diet soda.

  Thanks for this article Regardless of the debate of some of the finer scientific points of your presentation; it has swayed me to cut as much soda out of my diet as possible.
  

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  2.5

• commandx0r (Check me out!)
  Mar 12, 2007 at 11:42 pm

  That’s INSANE!! I’m never drinking coke again!

  
  

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  2.5

• commandx0r (Check me out!)
  Mar 12, 2007 at 11:43 pm

  Seriously that’s really messed up!!

  Who woulda thought?
  

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  2.5

• fromwhatiheard (Check me out!)
  Mar 15, 2007 at 2:41 am

  Very interesting article, i posted it on my blog with a link back to here

  http://www.fromwhatiheard.com/2007/03/14/the-effects-drinking-a-coke-has-on-your-body/
  

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  2.5

• auburn.kitten (Check me out!)
  Apr 28, 2007 at 6:41 pm

  What about Dr. Pepper?
  

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  2.5

• miss kitty (Check me out!)
  Apr 30, 2007 at 7:59 am

  It’s pretty much the same. It’s not flavor that matters,it’s the sugar/caffeine/acid trifecta that’s killer.
  

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  2.5

• April Shipowick (Check me out!)
  May 5, 2007 at 4:03 pm

  A little caffeine goes a long ways….for a while. Caffeine is like any addiction, it keeps taking more and more to get the same effect. The downside is that instead of increasing your ability to think clearly, caffeine will eventually prevent clear headedness, increase irritability and anxiety. Especially when combined with sugar!
  April Shipowick
  

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  2.5

• codecobalt (Check me out!)
  May 19, 2007 at 11:10 pm

  FYI:

  I drink at least 6 cans of coke a day. I have drank at least 40 ounces of coke a day since I was 9. I am now 21. I am rarely sick, can drink a coke and go right to bed (always have been able to), never broke a bone, and have had few cavities. I also only drink a glass of milk a month probably… Sure cokes not good for you, but its not gonna kill ya.
  

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  2.5

• jojo99 (Check me out!)
  May 23, 2007 at 1:58 pm

  I think I can count on one hand the number of soda’s I have drank and the last soda I had was like 20 years ago. Soda is just expensive sugar/caffeine water. I don’t drink coffee either.

  As to those who say they drink x cans a day and don’t have any problems, it may be that you just don’t know if you have problems. And this is what addicts always say, anyway.

  The human body is a great machine that can compensate and recover from a lot of abuse. But like any machine, it can also operate at varying levels of efficiency. Your body may be operating at 80% of your maximum efficiency level and you wouldn’t know it because to you, 80% = 100%! It’s all you know.

  If you were ever able to experience 100%, then you might have a better idea as to what the missing 20% felt like. Until then, you can’t really say that whatever you are doing/taking has not had any effects.

  If you need to imbibe caffeine to get through your day, then you are depending on a crutch and are definitely impacting your body and mind in some way.
  

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  2.5

• mmagnett (Check me out!)
  May 25, 2007 at 10:03 am

  The real problem with coke is that it contains high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup bipasses the first step of glycolysis (the conversion of glucose to glucose-6-bisphosphate by glucokinase) and its turned into glucose-6-bisphosphate by hexokinase, a non-regulated enzyme. This non-regulation makes fructose a bad sugar to be putting into the body, because the body has no way of knowing how much it has consumed. This turns into fat. Its a fact, look it up in a biochemistry text book.
  

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  2.5

• SemiLOOSE (Check me out!)
  May 30, 2007 at 3:12 am

  and thats why i LOVE coke!! woohoo!!
  

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  2.5