Cola: A Muscle Destroy-a?
Muscle Weakening Spurred by Cola Consumption, Researchers Say
Soda may contribute to muscle weakness.
Can’t lift as much as you used to? It may have nothing to do with the amount of protein you’re eating, but everything to do with the amount of cola you’re drinking.
This report comes as little surprise to me, as I’m one of the biggest sticklers in why we should all be avoiding soda consumption in general. And the best way to fight against the soda saturated society we live in is to arm people with information they need to help them realize that while soda might be flavorsome initially, the side effects of soda leave a significant aftertaste – literally and figuratively.
I won’t go into the panoply of side effects here; I’ll restrict my commentary to the latest study on how soda saps muscle strength.
In the International Journal of Clinical Science, researchers relate examples of two individuals who drank vast quantities of cola. One man, an Australian ostrich farmer, drank several liters a day of cola for several years. His imbibing regularly with empty calories left his lungs feeling empty as well – virtually paralyzed, in fact!
After emergency treatment and an advisement to cut back on the cola, his health is no longer in dire straits.
In another serious health concern perpetrated by cola concoctions, a woman that drank between one and three liters of the stuff a day experienced habitual episodes of vomiting, lack of appetite, and exhaustion. But once doctors corrected her cola drinking ways, these episodes went by the wayside and been given a clean bill of health.
The study’s author says that these two cases were likely due to drains to their potassium levels. Past studies have shown how excessive consumption of caffeine can cause potassium drainage, and when potassium is drained, the body’s musculature can go haywire as potassium helps to regulate the muscles (referred to as hypokalaemia). He cautions that the high amounts of fructose in colas can cause potassium levels to drop as well.
As aforementioned, this study isn’t a surprise to me, but what is a surprise is why this study’s researcher says we should drink things like soda “in moderation,” despite the fact that in the commentary portion of the study, a doctor from an Ohio-based medical center says that similar effects of cola consumption are “not rare.”
If that’s the case, shouldn’t researchers be advising that we not drink them at all? I sure think so.
What it comes down to is this: Soda, whether it’s cola, ginger ale or any other soft drink, diminishes the body’s ability to perform at its peak. Not only does it diminish muscle power, but it also eats away at other things, like teeth enamel and bone composition.
To put it simply, stay off the cola if you want to stay healthy and strong for years to come.
Source:
news.bbc.co.uk
Related Posts
- Sports Drinks like Gatorade Harsh on Teeth, Study Finds
- Watercress Shown to Destroy Cancer Cells, Study Indicates
- Potassium-Enriched Salt Lowers Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Research Suggests
- You Are What You…Drink?
 
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Posted: June 1st, 2009 under Soft Drinks.
Tags: muscle weakness, soda, soda and muscles, soda side effects
