Soda, more dangerous than smoking?

Great, I have already quit smoking! what more do you want?!?!?!

BTW, smoking is hell to give up!!!!! especially when you enjoy it *sighs*

Great links by Byrd.

Family demographics for you.
My Dad, now 84 has smoked unfiltered cigarettes for more than 50 years. He does not seem to be affected by it, though my Mom keeps his consumption down. He must have incredible resiliency. Maybe naturally occurring anti-oxidants. He's very active even today. He does have the typical smoker's cough.

His Father chewed cigars and lived to his mid 60s. He often gave us his empty cigar boxes to put toys in. No he didn't smoke them, just chewed them. Did not contribute to his passing, though. (high BP).

My maternal Grandfather actually succumbed to Emphysema which he contracted working in the Steel mills pouring 'slag'. He never smoked tobacco.

Myself, I've never smoked besides trying a menthol cigarette once in grade school. I'm glad I never got addicted to it.

Sorry to be off topic - just thought your lung facts were very interesting.

What about natural soda like (real) ginger ale or root bear? Could actually be good for you.

Raging-fetus, if you can stand to drink root beer, more power to ya. The only thing I like root beer with is ice cream.

Lactose, galactose, fructose, suctrose, glucose are all differant names for saccharides, mono-, di- or polysaccharides. The more complex the molecular structure, the more suited it is for human consumption. Refined sugar is made by a complicated chemical process in the extraction process involving phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide. Raw sugars compared to refined ones is like comparing raw opium to heroin. The camparision not all apart, actually quite parallel.

Because the idea behind refined sugar is not only to have a highly suluble substance for sweetning, but to get the effect of it delivered in an instance right to the bloodstream, securing a benificial boost of blodsugar levels. Like heroin, the only problem, you get hooked.

Once your system is use to get its revitializing kick from it, it won't accept any other. But there are numerous other sorces than the instant sugar-kick.

Carbohydrates are the stable of human foods, and carbohydrates are another name for saccharides. The natural form and main source for human consumption is found in grains, rice, corn, wheat, oat, barley, beans and root vegies. Its main substance is starch, and starch is a complicated polysaccharide that with a little help from the intestinal juices is broken down into a row of saccharides benefitting the enrgy influx of the body. Which means you have to digest your food before it works.

Exactly what you don't need much off for white sugars. They are merely instantly absorbed into the blodstream. And you can feel it.

Like a heronist is not likely to go back eating opium, a white sugar addict will have a hard time to turn his/her metabolism into the natural slow absorbtion from saccharides released through the digestive process of grain eating.

By the way, the popular name for diabetes are (at least in nordic-germanic languages) "sugar disease". People always known its course, and you might not feel it does you any harm now - though it is becoming 'normal' to diagnose diabetes in young people - but everything takes its toll. When you turn fifty or older the effects will show, so SoT, you say you're only 29 and you don't like doctors, you have time to give up your soda-crave. Try stimulate your sweet crave with naturals, like raisin, dates, figs, fruit and berries - and fruitjuices.

Or you could end up like a friend of mine, 54 with a serious diabetes diagnosed 2 years ago. This fall he almost died from internal bleedings, but he might not make it another time. He always loved "Danish".

Originally posted by Philadelphite
my mother the nurse told me that dark sodas (not sprite) actually deplete the calcium in your bones.

Hi,

Your mother is right to an extent. Coke contains high levels of phosphate along with diary products, meat and some other foodstuffs. Phosphate binds to calcium in the body but in an normal healthy person with a balanced diet it shouldn't be an issue. It is one of the things that kidney patients have to restrict as the kidneys remove phosphate and along with your parathyroid glands regulate the levels of calcium/phosphate.

Obviously if your phosphate intake is very high your calcium will become too low and vice versa. If you have insufficient calcium intake your body will take the calcium from your bones thus weakening them.

I agree with a lot of what people have said here, it is the chemicals etc added to our foods that cause a lot of health problems but also it is our responsibility to eat healthily just as if we smoke we accept the health risks that come along with that too.

I stumbled across this link awhile back ago...

healthbolt.net...

What Happens To Your Body If You Drink A Coke Right Now?

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high. They took the coc aine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.

* In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
* 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
* 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dialate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
* 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
* >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
* >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
* >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.

Technorati Tags: coke, effects, pharmacology, soda, caffeine, sugar

*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.

Artificial flavours and colours - perfect recipe for an unhealthy lifestyle.

This is how I see it - A lot of people die from Cancer and many other diseases, due to things such as artificial products in our foods being a big contributing factor towards the complications. Honestly, if there were no such thing as artificial, man mad chemicals in our foods then half the people with cancer and diseases would still be alive.

Originally posted by Byrd
What I see is that even the lungs of nonsmokers are black with tar from pollution and secondhand smoke.

Only the lungs of coal miners or those living in heavily polluted area's can in fact have 'black lungs' as it's from solid particulates which smokers can simply not inhale in the quantities to cause any noticeable discoloration. Thats what the evidence indicates to me; anti smoking lobbyist propaganda to the contrary.

Some of the plastinates were overweight; one is "morbidly obese." None have obvious cancers (there are cancerous organs, though) -- but ALL of these Eastern Europeans have varying degrees of emphysema from smoking.

But the Japanese do not? Where is the difference?

So, measuring the impact of "cancer causing stuff" versus "emphysema causing stuff" it's VERY easy to see that smoking is far, far worse.

How?

You can NOT repair lung tissue lost to smoking and pollution.

What i have read suggest that one can recover from smoking related problems ( lung problems any ways) no matter your prior usage or how long you smoked.

I wish I could walk you all through the exhibit and show you the things that the pathologists and physicians have pointed out to me. It's very eye opening.

Sure but is it all true?

Stellar

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
Raging-fetus, if you can stand to drink root beer,

more power to ya.

The only thing I like root beer with is ice cream.

OMG, Rootbeer is the Shiznik. It is soooooo good. Best soda out there. And you can drink a whole glass in one drink it is so good. Not adding much to the subject, but I had to defend my precious RootBeer.

Oh yeah, and how many times do you hear about this picture of good health who lived such a "clean" life walks outside and gets hit by a bus?

Some pleasures are worth the risk!

[edit on 29-12-2006 by interestedalways]

I don't consider it relevant but maybe some of you might; i have never in my life smoked a single cigarette and i don't intend to ever start. Most of my friends do smoke however but i have never considered that dangerous to my health ( some studies - i don't know who funded them- suggest actual beneficial properties in terms of your chance to get lung cancer...) and since i have never heard of a single experiment where they could induce cancers , or lung cancers at least, in animal testing i think cancer is related to what we eat and what we inhale from general industrial activity.

I think the sourced material i have provided in the past supports this point of view.

Any ways...

Stellar

Stellar,I think you are probably right. I am not going to sit here and say that smoking is not a contributer to cancer because I certainly think that it is.However,I certainly don't think that it is a central cause of it. Far too many people who die of lung cancer never smoked in their lives.

I tend to think that it has more to do with the toxins in our air and food. Both of my parents ded of cancer. My mother passed of lung cancer and my father passed of pancreatic cancer. Now, for them it was somewhat a foregone conclusion as to what caused their illness. My mother smoked for over fifty years. While my dad was fond of the drink.

Originally posted by Diseria

Some of the plastinates were overweight; one is "morbidly obese." None have obvious cancers (there are cancerous organs, though) -- but ALL of these Eastern Europeans have varying degrees of emphysema from smoking.

So, measuring the impact of "cancer causing stuff" versus "emphysema causing stuff" it's VERY easy to see that smoking is far, far worse.

I cannot say that your conclusion follows from your evidence.
If these people lived in polluted areas, then you cannot say that smoking was thee only cause of their blackened lungs... Defintely a contributing factor, but not the one definitive cause.

True, but a lot of them ARE smokers. The few nonsmokers are labeled and (except for one person), the differences in the lungs are absolutly startling!

I'd be very interested in a study where people smoked, but lived in a non-polluted area. (nevermind the fact that smoking has been around for a *very* long time -- the key is moderation.) ((Also not mentioning the difference between smoking tobacco that has additives, and tobacco sans additives. Surely additives (whatever they are) cannot be good for us...))

There's a famous long-term study involving people age 30-62 from Framingham, Massechusetts that began in 1948 and still continues (some of the studies also involve their children and the spouses of their children). In total, over 11,000 people have been studied long-term in the past 70 years :
www.nhlbi.nih.gov...

Their data even includes genetic analysis of the people, so that "tough old birds" are there along with the "easily fragile".

It was the Framingham studies that first showed smoking was a factor in heart disease risk (constricts arteries and raises blood pressure, which leads to all sorts of other things)
www.framingham.com...

And this is just one of many studies, but rather than toss a boatload of them at you, you might like to read up on this very interesting and very famous study! Here's the main website for it:
www.framingham.com...

Here's some additional information that adds to what wiz posted:

Originally posted by wiz561
* In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

Remember that not all colas are created equal, so the steps that your body goes through varies rather wildly.

In an "independant study" (unviersity biology class investigated amounts of sugar in various products), it turned out to be a little less than 4 teaspoons. There are some drinks that have more sugar in them. The Faygo company seems to be a major sugar junkie, though:
biology.clc.uc.edu...

I was appalled at the amount of sugar in fruit juice (like cranberry juice) that is supposedly "good" for us! I think I'm gonna pay more attention to the labels!

*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.

I'm sticking with my diet Coke!

Originally posted by Badge01
My Dad, now 84 has smoked unfiltered cigarettes for more than 50 years. He does not seem to be affected by it, though my Mom keeps his consumption down. He must have incredible resiliency. Maybe naturally occurring anti-oxidants. He's very active even today. He does have the typical smoker's cough.

"Smoker's cough" is, indeed, emphysema. He may also have an enlarged heart. He sounds like my dad, who's out playing golf and traveling at age 85 (and visiting the "old folks", many of whom are younger than he is.) Folks like your dad may not die of emphysema, but they are less able to deal with things like pneumonia (unlike my dad.)

His Father chewed cigars and lived to his mid 60s. He often gaves us his empty cigar boxes to put toys in. No he didn't smoke them, just chewed them. Did not contribute to his passing, though. (high BP).

Chewing tobacco also releases nicotine... and nicotine elevates blood pressure.

My maternal Grandfather actually succumbed to Emphysema which he contracted working in the Steel mills pouring 'slag'. He never smoked tobacco.

The steel mills were deadly to so many people! "Black lung" that miners develop is also emphysema. There are quite a few industries that (formerly) had work conditions where many people developed some form of emphysema.

I'm not sure what conditions are like in modern steel mills here in America. I know they're less polluting (but still rather dangerous.)

Myself, I've never smoked besides trying a menthol cigarette once in grade school. I'm glad I never got addicted to it.

Me too! I'm a lifelong nonsmoker.

I followed a pathologist through the coronary part of the exhibit two days ago and learned to see what a heart attack site looks like postmortem. Also learned that the first week after a heart attack is the most dangerous time -- many times a "crack" will develop in the dying muscle around the site of the infarct, and blood forces its way out of there and causes a bleed into the pericardium.

Also looked up information on arteriosclerosis (we have some horiffic examples of what high blood pressure and cholesterol do to your arteries) and diet and intend to put some of what I learned into the stuff I talk about!

And I think I'll at least learn the lowest sugar and highest sugar drinks or groups of drinks when talking to folks about the digestive system.

I thought I'd share this with everyone -- it's from a forwarded email, but it raises eyebrows...

WATER

#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
(Likely applies to half the world population.)

#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak
That it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs
For almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of
Washington study.

#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of
Water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain
For up to 80% of sufferers.

#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term
Memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on
The computer screen or on a ! Printed page.

#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of
Colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast
Cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop
Bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water
You should drink every day?


COKE

#1. In many states the highway patrol carries
Two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from
The highway after a car accident.

#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke
And it will be gone in two days.

#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the
Toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour,
Then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes
Stains from vitreous China.

#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers:
Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds
Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour
a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble
Away the corrosion.

#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola
To the rusted bolt for several minutes.


#7... To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke
Into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run
Through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen
Grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your
Windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

#1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.
It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric
Acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major
Contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.

#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the
Commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place
Cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean
Engines of the trucks for about 20 years!

Smoking might be bad (might), but Coke doesn't sound like a 'friendly' alternative...

Seriously -- what is it doing to our insides??

Originally posted by Diseria

Smoking might be bad (might), but Coke doesn't sound like a 'friendly' alternative...

Seriously -- what is it doing to our insides??

Well,your entire post is quite correct, except where you say that smoking "might" be harmful. I don't think that there is any doubt that it is harmful.The only question is to what extent.

I drink 4 Litres of cola every day (tops) with 8 glasses of fresh water afterwards.. I am definetly not obese, I'm rather quite slim and I am not diagnosed with diebetes or any condition but depression. Where I am it's very easy to drink pepsi, and cola etc especially at work. I am however wondering if it affects bone density and what the long term affects are with large consumptions of cola..

Any questions to my health please request.

7A

Originally posted by Byrd
Here's some additional information that adds to what wiz posted:

Originally posted by wiz561
* In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

Remember that not all colas are created equal, so the steps that your body goes through varies rather wildly.

And, it's not the sugar that is the problem.
Coke's website says that depending on availability, they use either beet sugar, cane sugar or HFCS, which is a by-product of corn and is modified to increase the fructose content.

One study concluded that fructose "produced significantly higher fasting plasma triacylglycerol values than did the glucose diet in men" and "if plasma triacylglycerols are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, then diets high in fructose may be undesirable"[8]. A study in mice suggests that fructose increases obesity.[9] However, these studies looked at the effects of fructose alone.

A more recent study found a link exists between obesity and high HFCS consumption, especially from soft drinks.[10]

However, the obesity epidemic has many contributing factors. University of California, Davis nutrition researcher Peter Havel has pointed out that while there are likely differences between sweeteners, "the increased consumption of fat, the increased consumption of all sugars, and inactivity are all to blame for the obesity epidemic."[11]

The fructose in HFCS is converted to fatty acids by the liver at a greater rate than is glucose.

en.wikipedia.org...

I'll stick with my PUR filtered tap water, thanks.
Although I do enjoy an occasional Diet Coke

Originally posted by 7Ayreon
I am definetly not obese, I'm rather quite slim and I am not diagnosed with diebetes or any condition but depression. 7A

I drink alot of soda as well. Most people would probably label me under weight. I also have bouts with depression. Now,I don't know if any of this is in connection with my soda intake,but it does seem to be a widespread aspect for people who have a large intake of cola beverages.