Water or Coke?
  (Author Unknown)
      Is your habit leading you to the health you desire?
      Facts About Water
      
        - 
           75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
        
-  In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is
        often mistaken for hunger. 
-  Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as
        3%. 
-  One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost
        100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study. 
-  Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. 
-  Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day
        could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. 
-  A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzz short-term memory,
            trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer
        screen or on a printed page. 
-  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. 
      (For a listing of the sources of the information about water, see 
Truth
or Fiction)
		
Facts About Coke
		
		  - 
		    In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons
		    of coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car
		    accident. (Unproven, however, it is reasonable to assume that it's
		    true since phosphoric acid can dissolve rust and grease and was
	      used by the steel industry to clean products.)
-  You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone
		    in two days. (Unproven, but fun to consider.) 
-  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. (Source: www.howtocleananything.com,
		    the popular household hint guru Mary Ellen says some coke in the
		    toilet for an hour can do the trick.)	
-  The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China. (Source:
		    Columnist Heloise) 
-  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.
		    (Source:  According to Joey Greene's )
	      
-   To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour
		    a can of  Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble
		    away the corrosion. (This is true of a lot of carbonated
		    beverages.) 
-  To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to
		    the rusted bolt for several minutes. (Source:www.howtocleananything.com,
		    the popular household hint guru Mary Ellen)
-  To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into
		    the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes
		    before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings
		    to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
-  To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke
		    into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular
		    cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.  (Source: www.howtocleananything.com,
		    the popular household hint guru Mary Ellen)
	      
-  Coke will also clean road haze from your windshield.
		    (Unproven, however, it is reasonable to assume that it's true since
		    phosphoric acid can dissolve rust and grease and was used by the
		    steel industry to clean products.) 
-  The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its
		    pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days (Unproven). Phosphoric
		    acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to
		    the rising increase in osteoporosis (Source:  UC
		      Davis Health System).
-  To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the
		    commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved
		    for Highly corrosive materials. (Source: Truth
		      or Fiction web site - "My husband and I drive
		    the big rigs and often carried Pepsi products...and it is true of
		    all soda in the concentrated form...YES we did have to put the hazardous
		    placards up for the load. Also the driver has to have passed the hazardous
		    material test and have that on his CDL's (Commercial Driver's License)"
-  The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean
		    the engines of their trucks for about 20 years! (Unproven, but according
		    to the Science
		      is Fun site sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
		    Chemistry Professor, Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, the steel
		    industry has used phosphoric acid to clean and rust-proof products.)
	      
 Now the question is, would you like a coke or a glass
      of water? 
      Note from Carol: The following are some additional bits of information
      I discovered about soft drinks and phosphoric acid:
      
        - The phosphoric
            acid present in soft drink competes with the hydrochloric acid of
            the stomach and affects its functions. When the stomach becomes ineffective,
            food remains undigested causing indigestion, gassiness or bloating.
- Kidneys are
            less able to excrete phosphoric acid when it is in excess. Thus,
            there is extra work for the kidneys. 
- Soft drinks
            remove Calcium from the body, causing an excess amount of Calcium
            that tends to be deposited in the kidney, resulting in kidney stones.
            Drinking too much soda (approximately five cans a day according to
            a USDA research study) has been shown to upset the body's calcium/phosphorus
            ratio. Under these circumstances, the body attempts to maintain balance
            by drawing calcium from bone. Over time, bones can become fragile
            and more susceptible to fractures. 
- Acidic blood
            affects the action of glutathione, which is an antioxidant enzyme. 
- Phosphoric
            acid, present in carbonated drinks de-oxidizes blood. In detergent
            manufacturing industries, phosphoric acid is used to produce water
            softener. Water softener removes Ca+ and Mg+ ion from hard water.
            In human body, the function remains the same by removing Ca+ from
            bones causing osteoporosis. 
- And from the
            National Library of Medicine, one study found that the consumption
            of soft drinks with phosphoric acid should be considered as an independent
            risk factor for hypocalcemia in postmenopausal women. And this from
            the same source: After analyzing published papers about soft drinks
            use, and to describe possible health benefits, risks, and damages
            related to soft drink consumption . . . Ninety nine papers reporting
            health-related damages or benefits in clinical or experimental studies
            were reviewed. . . .There were reports on 25 harmful effects and
            of 7 possibly beneficial effects. Data are classified in prophylactic
            and therapeutic uses, dental caries and other dental disorders, mineral
            metabolism disorders, acid-peptic disease, neoplasm, risk factors
            for cardiovascular disease, effects on central nervous system, reproduction,
            allergy, and miscellaneous. 
CONCLUSIONS: High
          prevalence of exposure and excessive consumption of soft drinks may
          represent a public health problem. Data analysis shows that soft drink
    consumption may not be as harmless as generally believed.
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