It wasn’t so long ago that I published an article on
the adverse effects of high consumption of soft drinks, and
now low and behold more detrimental effects of high intake
of these drinks has been uncovered by a researcher in the
UK.
“A common preservative found in many soft drinks can
cause serious cell damage and fatal illness, according to
a UK study revealed on Monday (28). Research indicates that
sodium benzoate, an ingredient in drinks, has the ability
to deactivate parts of DNA and eventually cause diseases such
as Parkinson’s and cirrhosis of the liver.
Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology
who has been studying sodium benzoate for eight years at Sheffield
University, found that the preservative seriously damages
living cells. “These chemicals have the ability to cause
severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that
they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether,”
Prof. Piper told The Independent on Sunday.
The findings came from laboratory tests conducted with sodium
benzoate on living yeast cells. Prof Piper was alarmed by
the chemical’s destructive impact on the “power
station” of the cells known as the mitochondria.
“The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy
and if you damage it — as happens in a number of diseased
states — then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously,”
Prof Piper continued. “There is a whole array of diseases
that are now being tied to damage to this DNA — Parkinson’s
and quite a lot of neuro- degenerative diseases, but above
all the whole process of ageing.” Sodium benzoate occurs
in small amounts naturally in berries, but is used in large
quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks. Sometimes listed
as E211 in ingredients lists, the preservative is also found
in many soft drinks. The additive has been the subject of
controversy for some time. Last year it was revealed that
a chemical reaction between sodium benzoate and vitamin C
creates benzene, a carcinogenic chemical.
“The food industry will say these compounds have been
tested and they are complete safe,” Prof Piper said.
“By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety
tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves
forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test
than you could 50 years ago.” He advised parents to
think twice about letting their children drink products containing
the chemical. “My concern is for children who are drinking
large amounts,” he said. (Exerts from MSN Health)
I think the message here is clear, a little bit of anything
in moderation is fine, but by making chemical based drinks
the main source of fluid intake is definitely not going to
be good for you or your family. A lot of you may cringe at
the thought of free flow soft drink in the home, but you would
be surprised how many families I interview who indeed consume
these drinks on a daily basis. Once again I must re-iterate,
it’s water that hydrates us, and water we should be
drinking.
“Kim Patra is a qualified Registered Nurse and Midwife
that has been living and working in Bali for almost twenty
years. She now runs her own private practice and medical referral
service from her Kuta office. Kim is happy to discuss any
health concerns with you and she may be contacted via e-mail
at info@chcbali.com or Hp. 081 2366 0000”.
