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Real Life Nutrition Questions Answered

Real Life Fitness Questions Answered

Emma Brown
Nutritionist

Janet Aylott
Nutritionist

Kelly Marshall
Fitness Consultant

Q.

Is my cola habit dangerous?

I'm very fussy with drinks. I don't like coffee, tea (leaf or fruit), hot chocolate. I do like most fruit juices but limit myself to one glass a day as it contains quite a lot of calories. I do not like the taste of alcohol at all!! I do drink about 1 litre of water. My favourite drink is Pepsi Max. I have drunk up to 1.5 litres a day!!! I now restrict myself to two cans (660ml) but am still concerned about the damage I may be doing. Is there a dangerous amount of caffeine and chemicals in those two cans? <br /> <br />

A.

Our expert says...

On average, cola only contains about a third of the caffeine content of coffee, so I'd say don't worry on this score. However the acidic nature of cola is more of a problem - the acids in it can erode teeth, but the effect can be lessened by drinking with food.

Another issue is the artificial sweeteners, which some evidence suggests may disrupt the body's natural ability to "count" calories based on a food's sweetness. Researchers reporting in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also discovered that women who drank cola regularly had a significantly lower bone mineral density in the hip (potentially increasing risk of osteoporosis) compared to those who didn't drink cola drinks. The effect was noted with as few as 4 cans of cola a week, but was only noted in women, not men. However women who had the highest cola intake also tended to have less calcium from non-dairy sources such as dark leafy greens and beans.

If you love your cola and can't do without it, at least limit the damage by drinking it with meals, looking after your teeth and making sure you eat plenty of calcium rich foods. I think congratulations are in order for reducing your intake as much as you have, and though your goal should be to reduce further, don't beat yourself up if you can't.

Disclaimer
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