The effects of Coca-Cola on the brain are comparable to those of heroin, warns a pharmacist.
Coca-Cola© is undoubtedly the most popular soda in the world. It is 350 billion liters bus every day around the world and on average 23 liters per French every year. Corn syrup, fructose, caffeine, salts and refined sugars… If the exact recipe remains a well-kept secret, several studies have shown that regular and increased consumption of Coke is harmful to health, increasing the risks of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. To go further, Niraj Naik, a British pharmacist, analyzed these studies and highlighted what happened in the body after drinking a can of 33 cl of Coke after 10, 20, 40, 45 and 60 minutes. The results of this research work were reported in the Medical News Today.
Already 6 more sugar cubes in the body in just 10 minutes
► After 10 minutes: the equivalent of 6 pieces of sugar enter the body, i.e. more than half of the recommended daily intake. You have a “mini boost“. And despite this significant sugar rush, “you don’t feel like vomiting because the phosphoric acid and other flavorings mellow the flavor and sweetness“, he explains.
Coca-Cola stimulates the pleasure and reward nerve centers
► After 20 minutes: blood sugar rises, causing a surge of insulin, the hormone secreted by the pancreas. “Your liver responds to this by transforming much of the sugar in fat. This ultimately leads to insulin resistance, now considered the fundamental problem of obesity and a risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many cancers.s”.
► After 40 minutes: all caffeine is absorbed by the body: “THE pupils dilate, blood pressure rises and in response, the liver dumps sugar into the blood. At this stage, adenosine receptors (hormone produced during wakefulness) in the brain are blockedthus preventing drowsiness“.
► After 45 minutes: the body increases its production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps control the pleasure and reward centers of the brain. “By the way, the way Coca-Cola stimulates the pleasure and reward nerve centers, through dopamineis comparable to the effects of heroin and triggers the urge to drink another can“, specifies the pharmacist.
► After an hour : the diuretic properties of caffeine come into play and it gives you want to pee. “It is now safe to pass the calcium, magnesium, zinc, sodium, electrolyte and water contained in the soda in the urine. You will start to have a “sugar crisis“during which you can become irritable and sleepy“; he concludes.
No more than one glass of soda per day!
Without necessarily banning sodas, it is advisable to limit their consumption. L’World Health Organization recommends maintaining possible intake of free sugars (sugars added or naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juices from concentrate) less than 10% of total energy needs and reduce it to less than 5% if we want to obtain additional health benefits. “It is the equivalent of a single 250 ml glass of sweetened drink per day“, declares Dr Francesco Branca, Director of the Nutrition for Health and Development Department of the WHO. In France, Santé Publique France recommends, as part of the national health nutrition programof do not exceed one glass (approximately 20-25 cl) per day of sugary drinks (including sodas) and for children, no more than 1/2 glass before 11 years old.