Cola Is Bad for Kids.

Cola is bad for kids.

Coke is bad for kids.

Coca Cola (more easily named Coke) is bad for kids. Everybody knows that. and, more importantly, not only that it is bad for kids, it is bad for people in general. It has three main ingredients which make it especially dangerous to children:

Sweeteners. Sugar, found in large quantities and under any form in any type of products, but, especially the one found in soft drinks (together with non-cola beverages) enlarges the likelihood of dental cavities apparition. Saccharin and aspartame, that is, non-nutritive sugar replacements also provide disagreeable side-effects in definite population fragments. Healthy sugar replacements are a noteworthy spring of calories in our regular alimentation.

A quote showing the harmful effect, of placing sweeteners in soda beverages, has on children is:

Saccharin is a non-caloric petroleum derivative estimated to be three hundred to five hundred times sweeter than sugar...It's used in diet soft drinks... Studies done in the 1970s linked saccharin ingestion to bladder cancer in laboratory animals" and, moreover: "Children who drink large quantities of diet sodas containing aspartame are particularly vulnerable to its dangerous side effects."

Caffeine. This substance is supplementary added to coke drinks and has many side-effects, among which we can name the fact that it is diuretic and will increase blood pressure. Moreover, some studies connect Coke with the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

That caffeine is bad, it is no longer a secret. But that the main source of caffeine for children are sodas rather than chocolate is: "Soft drinks are the single greatest source of caffeine in children's diets; a 12-ounce can of cola contains about 45 milligrams but the amounts in more potent soft drinks can exceed 100 milligrams -- a level approaching that found in coffee."

Phosphoric acid. This type of acid is characteristically included only in cola drinks. These beverages are very harmful, especially to children, but basically to all consumers because they have a low pH (Coca Cola 2.8 pH, Pepsi 2.2 pH), that is, they are very acidic in comparison with other soft drinks.

If you ever wondered which are the things that can happen to you when you drink very acid beverages, this quote might just give you an answer:

High dietary phosphorus, as is found in a diet with meats, soft drinks, and other convenience foods, can readily affect calcium metabolism. A low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in the diet increases the incidence of hypertension and the risk of colon-rectal cancer. Rickets in children, osteomalacia (decreased bone calcium) in adults and osteoporosis (porous and fragile bones) can occur; Fractures are more common with osteoporosis -- almost eight million yearly in the United States are related to this prevalent nutritional deficiency disease. Tooth loss, periodontal disease, and gingivitis can be problems, especially with a high phosphorus intake, particularly from soft drinks."

Moreover, if the main ingredients found in Coke did not make you wonder or reconsider consuming soft drinks, especially coca cola or Pepsi, there are some other things one should reconsider, like the fact that Coke beverages are addictive. Indeed, soft drinks with a coke-based formula have been proven to be addictive.

The name "Coca- Cola" contains the most important clues in determining the fact that this soft drink is a real problem. Coca Cola was originally produced from the coca leaf, the same leaf from which cocaine was manufactured. Moreover, from the late 1800's and until 1929, the soft drink even included different quantities of the mentioned above drug. Hence, the "Coca" part of the name.

The "Cola" part has another story, but as "addictive" as the first one. Another ingredient of coca cola was the "kola" nut, which contains caffeine, substance considered as extremely addictive. Thus, by combining the two you get Coca Cola, a substance that is highly addictive. However, the company considers that caffeine is not addictive, as it is not similar to drugs.

If that did not persuade you to stop giving Coca Cola to your children, maybe the fact that coke is actually a petroleum-based substance, might. And if you still think that Coca Cola is not poison, then you should know that diet Coke is a few times more addictive then the regular coke. Although one might save up to 1000 calories per day by drinking diet cola soft drinks, studies indicate the fact that the diet formula is highly more addictive than any other type of sodas in the same line of products. "Drinking the diet form of soft drinks can eliminate 1000 calories or more per day from the diet and will reduce the incidence of sugar-related dental caries." Other websites and organizations are more against Diet Coke than ever, because it contains a substance called aspartame as it is considered as highly unstable due to the fact that it "decomposes into formaldehyde, methyl alcohol, formic acid, diketopiperazine and other toxins." Maybe one of their most critical article states that Diet Coke is:

killing the unborn, raining tumors and seizures on the population, destroying children, incapacitating workers, mimicking MS, erasing memory and blinding. Inexorably Diet Coke visits a plague of 92 symptoms listed by our FDA on a secret report they'll never show which names diet soda as the first source of aspartame disease. And yes, Death was one of the 92."

Even more, soft drinks, Coca Cola or not, are the main source of obesity in the world. Movies such as "Super Size Me" have tried to upraise consumer's awareness without success. Sweeteners and other chemicals, combined with artificial food (found in fast foods all over the world) and lack of physical exercise (due to the evolution of transport industry) contributed to the general new illness that takes over the world: obesity.

More than half of the American children are overweight. Several studies have been conducted to see the motives for this problem. Their result was obvious: 9/10 children eat on a regular basis in a fast-food. Moreover, if they were asked to name the place where they eat more frequently, more than 60% named McDonalds. Furthermore, a question regarding their menu was whether they consume regular of super-size menus; although most of them were children under 16 years of age, the majority replied that they preferred super-size or king-size menus as they have more soft drinks (of which Coca Cola was their favorite) and more French fries.

Children prefer McDonalds more than other fast food due to the company's friendly advertising (clowns, parties, etc.). Moreover, part of the blame goes to the educational system in the United States, as there is a lack of healthy food or drinks in schools (as the movie Super Size Me states). However, most of the blame for obesity to children goes to the parents who, instead of preparing a healthy food prefer to take their kids to the Drive in. Why? it's faster, better, has a high variety (that is everybody orders what he/she wants), it is even less expensive and everybody has the time of his/her life without having to wonder about home-related issues. And if you are there, and enjoy yourself why settle for a small or regular Coke instead of having a Super Size?