A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.
More and more, these days, I am finding that I am feeling more and more like Heston's character in the first PotA movie (NOT the one with Marky Mark). I feel like I'm the smartest one around--even if it's by accident. Hell I've been officially off the sugar-drinks since the spring of 2003 just because I had read that sugar might be reeeally really horrible for you. So, here it is, four years later and it looks like I may have avoided having my very DNA diced and sliced by a nasty chemical in my Mountain Dew Code Red. But what IS that chemical. Well, here's more from the article:
Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces.
Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale.
Zowie. Well, I don't think Code Red is available in the UK, where the study occurred, so after a quick visit to [http://mountaindew.com/about_dew/product_info/cr.php|the Code Red product info page] at MountainDew.Com, I discovered that, yes, in fact, Code Red does contain Sodium Benzoate, which may very well mess with your health on the most basic of levels. Here's a bit more from the above linked article, this cutting refers to the unfortunately named scientist name behind the study:
Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria.
He told The Independent on Sunday: "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.
Sheeeit! That does sound pretty horrible, doesn't it? Well, let's not beat around the bush--HOW is it bad for you?
"The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if 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 ageing."
And here I thought that perpetual fatigue I have felt since I was 23 was just a part of having a dayjob. Turns out there's a reason my energy level rose back in the spring of 2003.
So, if you were on the fence about jumping off the soda wagon in favor of the water wagon, good GOD, man! JUMP!! JUUUUMP!!!
JUMP FOR YOUR LIFE!!!
Hmm... I feel better about drinking my vanilla diet pepsi. After reading this I read the back of my pepsi can and didn't see any sodium benzoate. What about potassium benzoate? Could that be harmful? Let's face it, today it is safe; tomorrow it won't be. Just enjoy life! It is too short to worry about everything!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. If I had time I'd Google it and see.
ReplyDeleteI understand about how life is too short to worry about everything. However, I think it makes sense to worry about the things that are actually shortening that already too short life. Especially when it happens to be something that helps some seriously large companies make seriously large amounts of money.
There's also the fact that drink as much of this stuff as I did growing up and it could explain why some kids don't do as well in school. I remember a time in college when I would drink 4-6 cans of Coke a day because I was having trouble staying awake through all of my summer classes.
Maybe all that soda was causing the trouble in the first place?
Nothing like using a treadmill to get around town, right?