Posted on 05/28/2007 10:05:29 AM PDT by Coleus
You may want to put that soda can down.
A common preservative found in drinks such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Fanta and Diet Pepsi may cause serious cell damage, according to a report in Britain's The Independent. Sodium benzoate has the ability to switch off vital parts of a person's DNA, according to research from a British university. The problem is usually associated with aging and alcohol abuse, but new findings show that drinking soda with the preservative can eventually lead to of the liver and degenerative diseases such as .
Click here to read the full story in The Independent.
Sodium benzoate, which derives from benzoic acid, has been used for years by the carbonated drinks industry to prevent mold from developing in soft drinks. The ingredient has been the subject of concern on cancer, because when mixed with Vitamin C, it turns into a carcinogenic substance called benzene, the Independent reported. Last year, a Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks found high levels in four brands that were removed from store shelves. "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether," said Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I’m drinking Mexican Coca-Cola. Made with cane sugar. Tastes nice. I figure it’s my bribe for letting all their illegal aliens come up here. And didn’t Vicente Fox used to run Coca-Cola? I’m probably lining his pocket too.
Regular Pepsi doesnt have sodium Benzonate in it just checked their website.
The former El Presidente Fox indeed used to run Coke
I once heard an interview with a man who had been involved in the early testing of sodium benzoate. He had been about 19 when the test was conducted. He said that the participants consumed so much sodium benzoate that it crystalized out of their urine. When the interview was conducted as part of an oral history project the man was about 90 and sounded quite healthy.
See #85.
Too much of anything is bad for you or didn't you know that?
Are you feeling touchy today? I have never known a parent who gave their kids free control over soda. You would be the first.
No, I was NOT slurring your parenting.
When we start importing soda from China is when we really need to be aware!
When you read the full article, it doesn't say that. The only work this guy has done is with yeast. In light of that, I'd say the alarm is mighty premature.
I'd even go so far as to wager that any danger from sodium benzoate is less than the danger posed by the molds that would form in its absence.
More recently, sodium benzoate has become apparent in many soft drinks, including Sprite, Fanta, Sunkist, Dr Pepper and (formerly) Coke Zero (Coke Zero now uses potassium benzoate). In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium and potassium benzoate may form benzene, a known carcinogen. Heat, light and shelf life can affect the rate benzene is formed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently (as of March 2006) performing tests to verify the validity of this claim.
Professor Peter Piper of Sheffield University claims that sodium benzoate by itself can damage and inactivate vital parts of DNA in a cell's mitochondria. "The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number of diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging."
So let me get this straight. Professor Peter Piper is picking on the potassium in Dr. Pepper????
I don't drink beer because of health concerns.
I don't eat bacon now because of my cholesterol.
I'll be damned if I am also going to give my my Coke with crushed ice after work.
Everything contains chemicals. Even water is a chemical.
Tap water can contain up to 3.1 ppb of benzine and is considered in the acceptable range. My favorite diet drink contains less than 1 ppb (if any) benzine.
Will the last sodium benzoate to leave my DNA please switch off the lights?
Sodium benzoate... has been used for years by the carbonated drinks industry to prevent mold from developing in soft drinks. The ingredient has been the subject of concern on cancer......ironically, certain types of mold have also been linked to cancer. In fact, the CRTs most people use on computers in order to read about this new fear are also believed to be giving us cancer...
This stuff is an affront to the laws of man and God.
**Report: Soda May Seriously Harm Your Health**
Now I know why I never had soda in the house for my kids except on very special occasions. (They all thought they were deprived as teenagers............LOL!)
Well, I was under a lot of stress, with no health insurance. That’s why I was taking OTC remedies. I have constant pain ranging from discomfort to bedridden due to neck and back disk problems.
I took Extra Strength Excederin, and tried everything else like it was going out of style. I guzzled Diet Coke for the caffeine to keep going. I bit off more than I could chew, apparently. Then they started issuing warnings about what acetamenophine/ibuprofen can do to your liver. Uh oh, did I mention that I had a few drinks in the evening to unwind and do homework?
So, one morning I felt so bad that I had to turn around and get home. I couldn’t even drive. A couple of years later, I ended up in the emergency room for a very small stroke. I had stopped taking everything, including vitamin supplements around 2001. Large amounts of vitamin C being one of them. Went to the urgent care in 2005. They admitted me to the emergency room.
But I still kept up with that damn Diet Coke.
Last year, I quit all soda and policed my liquor intake.
Someone posted a thread last month about the high cost of medical insurance. I posted a long rant. Check it out under my screen name.
LOL, I think that about covers it...
I drink the Strawberries and Cream flavor by the case, so there. ;’)
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