It is not "coke" that causes kidney disease.
If you drink a lot of carbonated beverages, be sure to include a balanced intake of vitamins and mineral supplements, because you will not get them from Coke......
"Prevention of kidney stones and Kidney disease includes adequate levels of supplementary calcium and magnesium (impossible to get enough from your diet especially if you are a big consumer of inorganic phosphorus-- meat and carbonated soft drinks). Excess vitamin D (hypercriticizes, fish oil, and supplementation) concurrently with a calcium deficiency will accelerate the depletion, thus, increase the risk of stones. Check for cadmium (metallic inorganic) toxicity with hair analysis."
More "Junk Science" regarding Coke:
In April 2001, researchers from the Georgetown University-affiliated Georgetown Center for Food and Nutrition Policy presented four new studies at the Experimental Biology 2001 annual meeting.
The studies were based on analyses of data from two national surveys: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Continuing Survey of Food Intake.
The researchers reported:
No relationship between consumption of carbonated soft drinks and obesity among 12- to 16-year-olds;
Soft drinks did not reduce calcium consumption among 2- to 20-year-olds;
Teens who consumed more soft drinks were as physically active as those who consumed fewer soft drinks; and
Soft drink consumption did not harm diet quality among children and teens as measured by the USDA's Healthy Eating Index.
The researchers added, "We need to stress the vital role of physical activity for all students, not just the best athletes chosen for varsity sports teams."
Other recent research also takes the fizz out of CSPI's attack.
Michigan State University researchers reported in May 2000 at the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrition Summit that soft drinks have not replaced milk in the diets of children aged 1-19. Over the last 10 years, according to the report:
Among children ages 1-5, milk consumption significantly increased and soft drink consumption significantly decreased;
Among children ages 6-9, milk and soft drink consumption remained steady; and
Among children ages 10-19, milk consumption remained steady while soft drink consumption increased.
While these data are undoubtedly not the last word on the subject of kids and soft drinks, they certainly seem to fly in the face of CSPI's claims. Worse, CSPI brazenly ignores these data in hopes that the public will rely on a nave and misplaced intuition that soft drinks are bad simply because they contain sugar and caffeine.
No one advocates that kids drink only, or too many, soft drinks. They have no nutritional value. But based on recent scientific data and generations of soft drink consumption, there is no question that soft drinks can be a safe treat in an otherwise balanced diet.
Through an $18 million grant associated with its sponsorship of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Coca-Cola will place 10,000 sets of 120 to 150 new, high-quality hardcover children's books in kindergarten through third grade classrooms and community centers throughout the country.
Maybe CSPI senses such generosity is a threat to its viability. The better kids learn to read, the less likely they will be to fall for junk science foolishness.
The public is already starting to wise up to CSPI's gimmick-laden attacks. Reportedly, only about 10 people showed for the protest of the Harry Potter premiere in Washington, D.C.
Flat soda might have more zip than CSPI's tired activism.
Steven Milloy is the publisher of JunkScience.com , an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute and the author of Junk Science Judo: Self-defense Against Health Scares and Scams (Cato Institute, 2001).
Edited by - thichi on 19 August 2002 16:48:17
Edited by - thichi on 19 August 2002 16:51:43