soft drinks

We just got a press release from Coke stating that they will be printing Calorie information on the front of all their products worldwide by 2011.

Researchers reporting in the International Journal of Clinical Practice noted that heavy cola drinkers (two to four liters of cola every day) are at risk of hypokalaemia, or low potassium levels.

This is a serious condition which leads to muscle weakness, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea and even heart problems.

Pepsi Bottling Ventures are set to release two new drinks: Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback.

These drinks will come with something unusual: They are sweetened with real sugar - the stuff that comes from sugar cane. Virtually all other soft drink formulas are sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

Over the last few years there has been a concerted effort to remove sugar-sweetened soda drinks from schools. Back in 2006 the American Beverage Association signed a deal that effectively removed some of the most sugary drinks from schools.

One (presumably young) commenter wrote "taking drinks out of school to stop kids from getting fat is stupid. Just because you take it out of school doesn't mean they wont drink twice as much at home..."

A very astute prediction.

We're not talking about alcoholism this time, though alcohol is apparently one of the culprits. According to researchers at the University of North Carolina, the number of calories American adults get through their beverages has nearly doubled over the past 37 years.

How many additional calories does this add up to? And what are the health implications?

If you are moderating your caffeine intake - it's worth noting that most diet soft drinks have as much (or sometimes even more) caffeine than their sugar-filled counterparts.

Diet Coke in particular has 30% more caffeine than regular Coca-cola.

Here is a list of the most caffeinated diet soft drinks.

McDonald's have long been touting "healthy options". I've always wondered if it was nothing more than elaborate window dressing. The real money is in the burgers, fries, and sodas.

McDonald's have been trialling a super-sized soda called "Hugo". 42 ounces (1.24 liters) and 410 Calories.

But didn't they drop Super-size items years ago?

This intriguing story has filled the news wires. To quote from the lead author of the study: "the findings don't show diet sodas are a cause of increased heart disease risks".

However, there is a very curious link between the two...

Added sugars are the bane of our modern diet - and drinking sugar is arguably the easiest way to over-indulge.

What are the most sugary drinks?

Hot on the heels of Diet Coke With Splenda comes Coca-Cola Zero. Coke Zero is sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame potassium (ace-k) and has zero calories. The only chemical difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke is that Coke Zero has about half the aspartame but has more ace-k.

Confused anyone? It's a marketing thing - Coke have manufactured a "diet" coke without using the word diet... which in their eyes will appeal to a different demographic.