by Sam Campbell

Created on: June 12, 2007   Last Updated: December 29, 2011

We've all heard that Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, etc., are all unhealthy, and we've all heard the myths that pop up in conversations - like how if you put a tooth (you may have heard a steak or a pencil) in a glass of Coke, it will dissolve overnight, or that drinks like these destroy your stomach lining. None of these are true, although soft drinks really aren't very good for you.

Phosphoric acid, or phosphorus, combined with citric acid, is supposed to have a very high level of acidity, and thus is supposed to corrode teeth and digestive organs. Dr. Pepper, the most concentrated acidically of the soft drinks, has a ph of 3 (on a scale of 1-14; one being pure acid, 14 being pure base) and fresh-squeezed orange juice has a ph of 1.8. Just to put things in perspective, orange juice is more likely to wear away your teeth and insides than Coke, and orange juice isn't likely to do it at all. Now, if you drink as much Dr. Pepper as Groucho Marx smoked cigars, then you are at risk for a number of serious health issues (ulcers - holes in the stomach lining, being one of them). But we all have enough common sense (although not so "common") to know that.

The primary health concern regarding sodas and soft drinks is the sugar. Of course, more than 90 percent of the world's population is addicted to sugar. But it isn't the sugar content in soda (although it is rather excessive) that is the biggest health concern. No, it is the type of sugar. There are several types of sugars found in foods: glucose (natural plant sugar), fructose (natural fruit sugar), and sucrose (table sugar). To relate sugars to another term you may have heard, sugar is pure carbohydrates, and there are two types of carbohydrates (which are long chains of sugars): monosaccharides and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are much better for you, as they line up in straight lines and cells can consume them as energy much more quickly and efficiently. Polysaccharides line up in curving chains and cells take much longer to consume and convert them. Thus, polysaccharides build up in our livers and bodies and...in a roundabout way contribute to obesity and the buildup and excessivity of body fat.

Artificial sugars, such as those in soft drinks (high fructose corn syrup) are polysaccharides. HFCS is a byproduct of corn harvesting. The reason American factories make soft drinks with this is because it's the cheapest form of sweetener, as we have a huge surplus of corn in America, because the government encouraged its growth during the food shortage after WWII (so quite honestly, the government caused obesity). Most sweet foods in America are made with HFCS, and foods that are made with better-tasting, healthier cane sugar are more expensive. An 8 fluid-ounce can of soda (one serving) has anywhere between 15 and 40 grams of HFCS, which is about as much as a person should consume in one day (25-35, depending on size and weight of a person).

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