What is in Coca-Cola? A briefing on our ingredients

It <strong>is</strong> believed to be an autoimmune d<strong>is</strong>ease and <strong>is</strong> notpreventable.Type 2 diabetes <strong>is</strong> a complex d<strong>is</strong>ease with a number of r<strong>is</strong>kfactors. Accord<strong>in</strong>g to the International Diabetes Federation(IDF), the known r<strong>is</strong>k factors for diabetes are overweight/obesity, ag<strong>in</strong>g, ethnicity, family h<strong>is</strong>tory of diabetes, previousgestational diabetes and a sedentary lifestyle. But it <strong>is</strong>important to remember that consum<strong>in</strong>g too many caloriesfrom any comb<strong>in</strong>ation of foods and beverages <strong>in</strong> the diet,<strong>in</strong> the absence of expend<strong>in</strong>g enough calories to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>energy balance, can lead to overweight and obesity. Allcalories count, whatever food or beverage they come from,<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g calories from our beverages.Bone HealthQ. Do sparkl<strong>in</strong>g beverages weaken bones?A. No, dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g sparkl<strong>in</strong>g beverages does not weaken bonesor cause osteoporos<strong>is</strong>. Good nutrition, adequate calcium,vitam<strong>in</strong> D and vitam<strong>in</strong> K, as well as physical activity that<strong>in</strong>cludes regular weight-bear<strong>in</strong>g exerc<strong>is</strong>e, play key roles<strong>in</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g bone health. For more than 15 years,scientific and patient-advocacy organ<strong>is</strong>ations have carriedout <strong>in</strong>vestigations to determ<strong>in</strong>e whether phosphorus orcaffe<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> sparkl<strong>in</strong>g beverages has any impact on bonehealth. Each concluded that there <strong>is</strong> no evidence of anynegative effect <strong>in</strong> healthy <strong>in</strong>dividuals, as long as theircalcium <strong>in</strong>take <strong>is</strong> sufficient.Dental HealthQ. Are sparkl<strong>in</strong>g beverages bad for my teeth?A. Any food or beverage that conta<strong>in</strong>s fermentablecarbohydrates (sugars and some starches), <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gcaloric sparkl<strong>in</strong>g beverages, can play a role <strong>in</strong> thedevelopment of tooth decay if proper dental hygiene <strong>is</strong>not practiced. Likew<strong>is</strong>e, any food or beverage that <strong>is</strong> acidic,<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g sparkl<strong>in</strong>g beverages and many fruit juices, hasthe potential to play a role <strong>in</strong> the erosion of tooth enamel.However, other factors are also associated with theseconditions. To ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> good dental health, you should v<strong>is</strong>ityour dent<strong>is</strong>t regularly and follow h<strong>is</strong> or her recommendationsfor daily oral hygiene, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the use of fluoride. Gooddental hygiene practices can help reduce the r<strong>is</strong>k of toothdecay and enamel erosion.Kidney D<strong>is</strong>ease/StonesQ. Can sparkl<strong>in</strong>g beverages cause kidney d<strong>is</strong>easeor kidney stones?A. Sparkl<strong>in</strong>g beverages do not cause kidney d<strong>is</strong>ease or kidneystones. It <strong>is</strong> not known what causes a kidney stone to formor why some people develop them and others do not.Dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g plenty of water and other fluids <strong>is</strong> recommendedas a simple and most important way to help prevent theformation of kidney stones. For certa<strong>in</strong> types of kidney stonesand for specific stages of chronic kidney d<strong>is</strong>ease, somehealth authorities may recommend that people with theseconditions avoid cola-type sparkl<strong>in</strong>g beverages or “dark18 19