‘Cola’ seriously a poison

We know that colas are bad for health; yet, most of us drink them all the time. In the 1970s, a soft drink was a treat. Today, a chilled cola is the first thing we reach out for after a hot trip. For the trendy youth, they are the ‘right’ choice. Buying (and gulping down!) a 600 ml bottle of cola on the way home from school has become routine for children. Research has now positively proved that a glass of carbonated soft drink — or soda as it is called in the U.S. — is nothing less than a killer attack on the body. Consider this: One can of soda (330 ml) contains about 8-10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colours and sulphites. How can a drink that provides a whole lot of calories, sugar and caffeine be good for health?

What it does —-

What exactly does soda do inside our body? Within 10 minutes of drinking a cola, a huge dosage of sugar hits our system. Within 20 minutes, blood sugar spikes and is rapidly converted to fat by the liver. Within 40 minutes, all the caffeine from the soda dilates the pupils, raises blood pressure and the liver deposits more sugar into the blood. The high sugar and caffeine in our blood gives us a ‘Feel Good’ high. However, soon thereafter, blood sugar begins to crash giving way to tiredness, exhaustion and fatigue. Drink soda twice or thrice a day and our body keeps roller coasting between sugar highs and lows throughout! What’s more, drinking a single can a day translates to more than a pound of weight gain every month. And doubles the risk of diabetes! To make matters worse, phosphoric acid — added to colas for their distinct ‘tang’ — pulls calcium out of bones and weakens them for life. It also dissolves tooth enamel causing cavities and promotes formation of kidney stones. The caffeine — the ‘kick’ part of the soda — causes jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat. Lately, doctors are warning that excessive cola consumption can lead to anything from mild weakness to profound muscle paralysis. This is because the drink can cause your blood potassium to drop dangerously low. Sodium benzoate — the preservative in soft drinks — can alter DNA eventually increasing our risk for liver damage and Parkinson’s disease.

Give it up —

So there is absolutely no reason why anyone should ever drink soda. If you are a soda drinker (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this), giving up this habit is the easiest way to improve health. So, take soda off your shopping list. Try a tall glass of chilled water instead. Add a dash of lemon — it is tasty, refreshing and harmless. A posting on the Internet: My grandfather just turned 99. The secret to his long life and health? “I’ve never drunken cola. It’s poison!” If you think diet sodas are a healthy alternative, nothing could be further from truth. In fact, diet colas often pack a lot more (20-47 per cent more) caffeine compared to regular cola. Aspartame the chemical in diet soda causes slow damage over time: brain tumours, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/attack are a few of the 92 side-effects associated with the chemical. Anxiety, depression, dizziness, panic attacks, nausea, irritability and impaired memory/concentration are some of its immediate effects. They may even induce a whole set of physiologic and hormonal responses that actually make you gain extra pounds!

Chewing gum for diabetics

It is possible to deliver insulin with the help of salivary protein.

Scientists are on track to deliver insulin chewing gum whereby it would be possible to deliver insulin into the blood stream with the help of salivary protein.

Diabetic patients have increased steadily in the last 5 decades.Insulin is required. for them  to convert sugar and starch into energy.

Now Robert Doyle, a chemist at Syracuse University in New York has a potential solution. Based on successful tests on rats, Doyle suggests binding insulin molecule to vitamin B12 so that it can hitch a ride on this protected supply chain. The insulin could ride all the way into the blood stream where it is released to do its work.

But chewing gum would be a better delivery method nhmans. Chewing would ensure a plentiful supply of saliva, providing the protein needed for the insulin to make its way ino the bloodstream, he said.