Coca-Cola issued an urgent recall this week over fears its products may contain ‘higher levels’ of the chemical chlorate — and the firm’s spokespeople rushed to reassure the public that the risk to the public ‘was very low’.
But — regardless of chlorate content — several potentially harmful processes do happen when a person drinks sodas like Coca-Cola regularly, experts now claim.
Links between sugar-laden versions and increased risk of conditions like obesity and diabetes are well known.
Yet diet specialists warn those who chug the drinks are at increased risk of ‘gastrointestinal distress’, agonising bone fractures and even permanent organ damage.
Even diet sodas, despite not having sugar, could lead to excessively craving other sweets, which may cause weight gain and increase the risk of conditions like diabetes.
And artificial sweeteners like aspartame in diet sodas may cause stomach upsets like diarrhoea and constipation.
Coca-Cola recalled ‘a considerable quantity’ of its drinks from European markets when ‘elevated levels’ of chlorate, which is produced when chlorine-based disinfectants used to sterilise water break down, were discovered.
Products pulled from shelves including Fuze Tea, Fanta, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Tropico and more.
Yet Coca-Cola, as well as several sodas from brands like Dr Pepper, contain phosphoric acid, a colourless additive meant to make foods more acidic and prevent bacterial and mould growth, as bacteria can quickly multiply inside sugary drinks.
The drinks giant pulled several of its products including Fuze Tea, Fanta, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Tropico and more after testing revealed ‘elevated levels’ of chlorine in parts of Europe (file image)
The substance also gives sugary drinks their tart flavour and fizzy texture.
Phosphoric acid comes from phosphorus, a naturally occurring mineral in the body responsible for tissue and cell growth, maintenance, and repair.
While we need phosphorus for these functions, getting too much can deplete calcium from the body, an essential nutrient for bone and muscle health.
Without calcium, you’re more prone to developing conditions like osteoporosis, which causes bones to become so brittle that they break.
One observational study in the journal Nutrients found people who drank soda every day doubled their risk of fractures compared to those who did not drink soda.
Sodas have also been shown to irritate stomach lining due to their high carbonation.
Nancy Mitchell, a nurse and contributor for Assisted Living Center, told EatingWell: ‘For those with gastritis, ulcers, acid reflux, and the like – the carbonic acid may aggravate symptoms and cause discomfort, especially if you’re already experiencing chronic inflammation.’
Sugary sodas have also been shown to lower HDL (‘good’) cholesterol and increase triglycerides, a type of fat in the bloodstream that comes from foods like butter, oils, and other fats.
The Food Standards Agency has launched an investigation into Coca Cola products after the drinks giant recalled (file image)
Experts have warned that drinking soda every day may lead to increased risk of fractures, liver damage, and gastrointestinal distress (stock image)
A 2020 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association, for example, found that adults who drank soda frequently had a 98 percent higher risk of low HDL levels and a 53 percent higher chance of developing high triglycerides.
Cesar Sauza, a registered dietitian nutritionist at HealthCanal, told EatingWell: ‘If the sugar from the soda is not used for physical activity, the liver will turn sugar into [triglycerides].
Patients with high levels of triglycerides are known to be at increased risk of coronary heart disease as well as dangerous inflammation of the pancreas called pancreatitis, according to the NHS.
In terms of liver damage, one study found that women who drank one or more sugar-sweetened sodas per day were 85 percent more likely to be diagnosed with liver cancer in that time compared to those who consumed fewer than one a week.
Daily soda drinkers were also 68 percent more likely to die from liver disease than those who drank three or fewer per month.
However, the researchers noted the overall risk of death was still very low – with only around 150 fatalities from the disease in the trial.
There was no correlation between liver disease and sugar-free drinks like Diet Coke.
However, diet sodas can come with their own side effects.
In 2022, researchers in Tel Aviv and Johns Hopkins University found that participants who consumed the artificial sweeteners aspartame and stevia – found in diet drinks like Diet Coke – could suffer glucose-galactose malabsorption, a condition that makes it difficult for the gut to absorb sugars.
This can lead to severe diarrhoea, dehydration, and weight loss.
Concerns have also been raised about some artificial sweeteners, which are added to diet drinks as a sugar substitute, being linked to cancer.
These fears were heightened in 2023 after the World Health Organisation controversially classified the artificial sweetener aspartame, found in drinks like Diet Coke, as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’.
However, the UN agency ruled it only posed a risk to those who consumed massive amounts and that an 11 stone (70kg) adult could safely drink about 14 cans a day.
Both diet and regular sodas are acidic drinks and can erode the protective outer layer of the teeth called the enamel.
This is why experts recommend people drink them at mealtimes, rather than on the go, as consuming the liquid with food can help mitigate the damage.
