Water or Coke?
(Author Unknown)

Is your habit leading you to the health you desire?

FACTS ABOUT WATER

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

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

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much 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 fuzz 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.

(For a listing of the sources of the information about water, see Truth or Fiction)

FACTS ABOUT COKE:

1. 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.)

2. 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.)

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. (Source: www.howtocleananything.com, the popular household hint guru Mary Ellen says some coke in the toilet for an hour can do the trick.)

4. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China. (Source: Columnist Heloise)

5. 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 www.wackyuses.com)

6. 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.)

7. 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)

8. 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.

9. 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)

10. 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.)

11. 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).

12. 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)"

13. 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 Ca²+ and Mg²+ ion from hard water. In human body, the function remains the same by removing Ca²+ 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