Consumption Of Carbonated Beverages Can Lead To Esophageal Cancer And DNA Damage
Author: Alexander Bruni
Time for reading: ~2
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
Studies by various scientists show that consuming large amounts of carbonated beverages can damage our DNA or cause esophageal cancer.
Indian researchers are convinced that people who have consumed large amounts of carbonated soft drinks for many years have a significantly increased risk of developing esophageal cancer.
Researchers studied the eating habits of Americans and found that over the past 50 years, per capita carbonated drink consumption has increased by 450 percent and esophageal cancer by 570 percent over the past 25 years.
In Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, India and Eastern Europe, where less than 35 liters of soft drinks are consumed per person per year, this disease is less common than in Western countries, where the use of carbonated beverages is more than 75 liters per year per capita.
With carbonated soft drinks, additional acid enters the stomach. During reflux, stomach acid enters the esophagus, which damages it.
Studies conducted years ago show that the use of a can of Coca-Cola increases the acidity of the stomach and this lasts 53 minutes. If a person drinks two cans of Coca-Cola a day for 20 years, it can seriously damage their health.
Also, such drinks contain a large amount of sugar, and the caffeine in them can lead to high blood pressure, even in young people. Sodium benzoate causes significant damage to the genetic code, said Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at the University of Sheffield in the UK, who has traced the effects of the substance on living cells.
According to Piper, sodium benzoate, which is an active ingredient in the preservatives used in the manufacture of most carbonated beverages, does not destroy parts of DNA, but deactivates them. This can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease.
Sodium benzoate is used as a preservative not only in carbonated beverages, but also in some sausages, such as sausages. Scientists have long established a link between sodium benzoate and cancer. When it combines with vitamin C in cells, benzene is formed, which is a carcinogen.
An analysis of the most popular carbonated beverages conducted last year by the Food Standardization Agency (FSA) showed increased benzene content in a number of products, which were subsequently discontinued.
Current regulations from the FSA and European Union authorities allow the use of sodium benzoate in food, but the work of Piper (funded by government organizations) has already provoked a reaction and steps have been taken to study the substance in more detail, reports the BBC.
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