Researchers from the University of Southern California decided to test actual brand-name sodas — including Coke, Pepsi, and Sprite — to confirm their exact sugar content and makeup. They found that the HFCS in the vast majority contained far more than the presumed 55 percent fructose: in the case of those three brands, it was actually 65 percent fructose. -grist.org
MY COMMENT: Just one more reason to eliminate soda!
While none of the ice samples exceeded U.S. drinking water standards, coliform bacteria was detected in 48% of the beverages and 20% had a heterotrophic plate count greater than 500 cfu/ml.
More than 11% of the beverages analyzed contained Escherichia coli and over 17% contained Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. Other opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms isolated from the beverages included species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia. Most of the identified bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested. These findings suggest that soda fountain machines may harbor persistent communities of potentially pathogenic microorganisms which may contribute to episodic gastric distress in the general population and could pose a more significant health risk to immunocompromised individuals -sciencedirect.com
MY COMMENT: I’d stay away from drinking soda out of dispensers typically found in fast food joints! Get a bottled water instead.
The study found that 41 percent of children (ages 2 – 11), 62 percent of adolescents (ages 12 – 17) and 24 percent of adults drink at least one soda or other sugar-sweetened beverage every day. Regardless of income or ethnicity, adults who drink one or more sodas or other sugar-sweetened beverages every day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight or obese. Soda consumption rates vary from county to county and city to city, with dramatic variations between some counties and some cities. -public health advocacy
MY COMMENT: Results were based on a survey of 43,000 adults and 4,000 children.
The group (American Heart Association) said women should eat no more than 100 calories of added processed sugar per day, or six teaspoons (25 grams), while most men should keep it to just 150 calories or nine teaspoons (37.5 grams).
That’s far below the 22 teaspoons (90 grams) or 355 calories of added sugar consumed by the average American each day, according to a 2004 government survey.
MY COMMENT: The 150 calories is about the same as a12 ounce Coke. Last time I checked we were averaging more than 50 gallons of soft drink consumption per person per year in the US. There are millions of overweight and obese out there who could lose significant weight just by eliminating soda.
people are now drinking almost 50 additional calories of sweetened beverages daily compared to two decades ago, for an average of about 300 calories daily coming from such drinks -yahoo news
MY COMMENT: Many who drink soda and are overweight apparently do not realize how easy it is to eliminate these extra calories.
Over the past two decades, the number of adults consuming sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, fruit drinks and punches has increased dramatically, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. sciencedaily.com
MY COMMENT: This is one of the easier diet modifications you can make – just one soda a day provides enough calories to pack on 1 extra pound every 23 days.
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