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Short Commentary: The Harmful Effects of Soda

The Harmful Effects of Soda


 
“Daily consumption of soda in teens has caused a statistic of three times more bone fractures.” 		The following is an excerpt of a post from Elizabeth Walker, RDH, BS, DC, that was part of a discussion about erosion of the lingual surfaces of the maxillary anterior teeth. The discussion centers around eating disorders, but this post on the negative effects of soda pop provided valuable information.

We really need to caution people regarding the daily use of soda pop. Our fast-food culture has warped our perception of this chemical cocktail and marketed it as a legitimate beverage to be consumed with a meal. This is not food in any sense of the word. I prefer to call it a “party food,” which is only to be consumed at special occasions. This is the way I was brought up. We never kept soda in our house. It is also the way I brought up my son, and at 22 he has never taken a round of antibiotics and has never had a cavity in his adult teeth.

I teach my patients that soda harms you in three ways. First, the phosphoric acid and other chemicals that give it fizz cause an EXTREME chemical imbalance in the body that severely strains the body’s buffer systems. The bloodstream has to be flooded with calcium (which is taken from bones, teeth, heart and any other organ) to correct this imbalance. Daily consumption of soda in teens has caused a statistic of three times more bone fractures. We are creating an entire generation of future orthopedic invalids.

Second, the average soda has 10 tsp. of sugar. Sure, sugar gives you energy but it doesn’t travel through the citric acid cycle free of charge. This cycle has about a dozen metabolic reactions, all of which require nutrient cofactors. Therefore, the body has to steal these nutrients (again from all of our organs and tissues) to run this cycle. The nutrients needed by the Kreb’s cycle include B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, lipoic acid (important in preventing diabetes), Mn, biotin, Fe, Mg, S, and coenzyme Q-10.

Third, the caffeine in many brands races our heart and stresses our adrenals, both of which cause exhaustion and a decrease in our body’s resilience, which is the ability to handle stress of any kind. Also, the caffeine stimulation causes us to use up more nutrients (AGAIN!) and increases urinary loss of even more nutrients. These days it is “fashionable” to amp up the caffeine in many new beverages. Red Bull or Pepsi anyone?

In dentistry we are aware that Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper seem to cause the worst demineralization. I was even more amazed when a psychologist patient of mine, who works for a major medical HMO, told me that they are often unable to achieve emotional stability in patients who use Mountain Dew! That is the only brand that they have noticed difficulties with. This would be an interesting thing to mention to patients who are on Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, etc.

If you find explaining this whole diatribe too complex, refer patients to www.dentalnutrients.com. You’ll find most of this under the subject “Cavities.” Thanks again for great info. That is what makes Hygienetown so helpful to those of us who want to offer the best to our patients.
  This short commentary is excerpted from the thread “What else causes erosion on linguals of #7-#10?” on www.hygienetown.com. Look for future commentaries inspired by Townies like you. If you would like to submit an article for consideration, please contact Trisha O’Hehir at trisha@hygienetown.com.
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