by Shirley Love

Created on: October 01, 2009   Last Updated: November 19, 2009

Ah, a big juicy cheeseburger with an order of fries, and an icy cola to wash it all down. I am sure the health food advocates are probably shaking their heads in disgust at this menu suggestion because of all the adverse side effects on the human body.

We know the caloric, fat, and sodium content of such a meal is high on the list of unhealthy eating habits. We are not going to discuss the meal itself, with all its appeal to the taste buds and all its bad effects on the human body; but we are going to discuss the cola and the accompanying hazards associated with it.

According to the Organic Consumers Association, the United States ranks first among countries in soft drink consumption. The per capita consumption of soft drinks is in excess of 150 quarts per year, or about three quarts per week.

1. Raised calcification and phosphate levels

There is a high risk factor for calcification of growing bones, which poses a huge problem for children who consume large amounts of these beverages. These drinks lower the calcium levels and raise the phosphate levels in the blood, a condition that actually pulls calcium from bones, which can lead to osteoporosis. This situation also leads to low mineralization in the bone, hence a higher risk for broken bones in children. Statistics show that these children suffer from bone fractures three to four times more than those who do not drink sodas.

2. Obesity

The sugar in soft drinks increases the risks of obesity in children. From a study in Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, we learn that the effects of soft drinks on body weight is so strong that for each additional soda consumed the risk of obesity increases over 1.5 times.

3. Lowered infection fighters and tooth decay

From another source, A Physician's Guide to Natural Health Products that Work, we are informed of an experiment which concluded that the sugar from one soft drink was able to damage the white blood cells' ability to ingest and fight infections. We know the effect of sugar on teeth, and sodas are one of the largest factors in tooth decay in children.

4. Damage to brain cells

Soft drinks without sugar also pose a threat according to yet another source: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children. Their study claims that aspartame in sodas can produce harmful amounts of methanol in the human body. If several of these beverages are consumed in one day as much as 250 milligrams can enter the bloodstream, which is 32

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