The benefits and harms of Coca-Cola for the human body

Coca Cola Is a global brand, perhaps the most popular carbonated drink on the planet. For more than a century, Coca-Cola has held the sole leadership among the most popular drinks, despite the huge number of competitors in this area. This non-alcoholic carbonated drink was invented in the United States by chemist John Pemberton in 1886. About a decade after the invention, the drink acquired a trademark and a familiar bottle for everyone.

We all know the unique taste of this drink, which has made many consumers fall in love around the world. However, experts note its obvious harm to the human body and warn us that it can cause many diseases. There are a lot of discussions between scientists about the beneficial properties of soda, so this delicacy among specialists is not only opponents.

The benefits and harms of Coca-Cola are due to the additives that are used to produce the mixture. This is primarily due to caffeine. So what to expect from drinking cola, how dangerous is it and does it really have a share of benefits for humans?

Benefits of Coca-Cola

• Increases the tone of the body. You probably noticed how, after drinking a small portion of cola, concentration of attention increases, vigor and good mood overtakes you. This is due to the presence of caffeine in the blend, which is also found in coffee, tea, guarana, and many other products. It is caffeine that has a stimulating effect on the brain and muscles, strengthens memory, increases efficiency and helps to cope with heavy mental stress. Cola contains concentrated caffeine, helping to cope with bad moods and depression. It is only worth noting that the positive effect of this drink is short-lived;
• Sometimes doctors recommend Coca-Cola as a cleanser. Amazing, huh? But few people think about how often we drink “harmless” water with sediment that forms scale in pots and teapots. Perhaps doctors are to some extent right that this drink in moderate quantities is able to cleanse our natural “pipes” and “reservoirs” without harm to health. Surely everyone has heard that Coke can also be used for washing heavily soiled clothes, cleaning glass from road dust and removing corrosion from a car battery. In some states of America, even the traffic police have a couple of gallons of drink in the saloon of the patrol car to cleanse the road from blood after an accident.

The harm of Coca-Cola

It is difficult to say more about the benefits of cola, and even this scanty benefit is overridden by its negative impact on the human body. In small quantities and with reasonable intake, it, of course, can slightly improve your state of health (although similar benefits can be obtained from other, more effective products), but regular use will certainly lead to negative consequences.

The main ingredients that damage the body are phosphoric acid, caffeine, citric acid, carbon dioxide and, of course, sugar. Before examining in detail the harm of the drink, you should learn about how it affects the body after drinking one glass of cola.

Effects of Coca-Cola when ingested

The first reactions in the body are associated with the intake of sugars. Once in the gastrointestinal tract, they provoke excessive production of insulin by the pancreas. This allows the liver to convert sugars into fats, but during these processes the body undergoes a sharp increase in insulin levels.

After 30-40 minutes after taking the drink, the processes of absorption of caffeine are completed in the body, which causes an exciting effect. The pupils of the eyes dilate, blood pressure increases, and adenosine receptors become dull. All this leads to excitement, the person gets rid of the feeling of drowsiness. The body then increases the production of the hormone dopamine, which activates the brain’s pleasure center, which induces pleasant emotions.

After about 1 hour, phosphoric acid binds trace elements in the intestines, which facilitates their excretion in the urine. Strengthening the diuretic effect, Coca-Cola removes calcium, zinc, magnesium and sodium from the body. Water and electrolytes also leak out, as a result of which a cheerful and cheerful person turns into a sluggish and irritable person. And this is only from a single intake of one glass of the mixture.

And if you regularly abuse Coca-Cola, how will it affect the body?

• Negatively affects the work of the heart and blood vessels. Drinking in large quantities is dangerous due to the effects of caffeine, which is found in excess in Coca-Cola. And caffeine is known to increase blood pressure, which is very bad for hypertensive patients. Moreover, the substance exerts additional stress on the heart muscle. Coca-Cola should not be consumed by people with reduced blood clotting, as this sweet drink impairs the natural processes of stopping bleeding. The treat increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks by 60 percent;
• Flushes calcium from bones… Such harm to Coca-Cola is due to the presence of phosphoric acid in its composition. Especially calcium deficiency is dangerous for the actively developing child’s body and the elderly, for whom this element is especially important. As a result, cola drinkers are exposed to bone fragility, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, as well as problems with the strength of tooth enamel and the development of caries;
• Contains a huge amount of sugars. Scientists say that just one glass of carbonated mixture contains 6 to 10 tablespoons of sugar, with a daily rate of 9 tablespoons. This is an extremely dangerous dose not only for young children, but also for adults, given that we drink more than one glass a day. Excess sugar greatly increases the load on the liver, leading to the release of excess insulin into the bloodstream. In this regard, cola is especially not recommended for patients with diabetes mellitus, as well as overweight people. You’ve probably noticed that on the packaging of the drink, manufacturers indicate that the composition of Coca-Cola does not contain sugar. This is true, however, sugar substitutes are added instead, which are no more useful than the sugars themselves. They often lead to increased heart rate, migraines, depression and fatigue. So, the main sugar substitute in the drink is aspartame (E 951) – it causes thirst, disrupts digestive processes, provoking obesity, slows down mental development and causes nervous disorders. Also in aspartame there is phenylalanine, which destroys the “happiness hormone” in the body – serotonin;
• It is characterized by high acidity. For this reason, Coca-Cola, like all other carbonated drinks, is contraindicated for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, high acidity of gastric juice, ulcers and gastritis. Regular use of this product causes indigestion, can provoke the development of pancreatitis, as well as disrupt the work of the biliary tract and pancreas;
• Dangerous for the development of cancer. The cola caramel color is created artificially thanks to the E150 sugar color, which contains methylmedazole 4, which has been officially recognized as a substance that provokes cancer. Another similar ingredient in cola is the synthetic chemical cyclamate, which is banned in Europe for its use in food because it is a carcinogen;
• Addictive. Cola contains acesulfame potassium (E950), which is 200 times sweeter than sucrose. This substance contains aspartic acid, which excites the nervous system and, when systematically ingested into the body, causes addiction in humans.

As you can see, the benefits and harms of Coca-Cola are almost incomparable, since this drink consists of a large number of chemicals and sugars that have a detrimental effect on the body. But why is this delicacy, despite such harm, remains a global brand and one of the best-selling drinks?

Because it is a delicious and addictive drink. And if you can’t stop drinking Coca-Cola altogether, stick to strict dosages. 300 milliliters of cola per day will be absolutely harmless to our health.

Coca-Cola nutritional value and chemical composition

Video about the benefits and harms of Coca-Cola