Expert: Dr.Paul Skett - 3/31/2011

Question
Hi Dr Skett. A friend of mine likes to regularly quote from the following article on the effects of drinking a can of coca cola. I suspect most, if not all of it is complete bullshit or wild exaggeration. I appreciate this isnt the most serious or scientific question you're probably working on right now, but i would appreciate if you could give your professional opinion on the claims made. Thanks a lot.

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? Because it gets you high. They removed the cocaine almost 100 years ago. Why? It was redundant.
Coke

   In the first 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor, allowing you to keep it down.

   20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (And there’s plenty of that at this particular moment.)

   40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate; your blood pressure rises; as a response, your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked, preventing drowsiness.

   45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production, stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

   > 60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium, and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

   > 60 minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium, and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolytes, and water.

   > 60 minutes: As the rave inside you dies down, you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like hydrating your system, or building strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.)

Answer
Hi, Paul,

Thanks for your question. Where do I start!?

Individually each of the components mentioned in a suitable concentration will have the effect noted but one can of Coca-Cola(R) does not have sufficient of any of the components to give the dramatic effects noted above.

There IS a lot of sugar in Coke(R) and it will increase blood sugar levels and stimulate insulin secretion causing the liver to store sugar (but as glycogen and not fat). This happens with every meal.

Caffeine in suitable concentrations DOES have the effects noted but no worse than a cup of coffee - caffeine CAN be addictive (I know because it happened to me)partially because of the activation of the reward pathway (dopamine - also the reward pathway for gambling, sex and shopping!! ) but also because of the withdrawal also noted - but again the effects are not as dramatic as written above e.g. caffeine will inhibit to a certain extent adenosine receptors in the brain but so does adenosine which is flowing around your brain all the time.

Extensive research indicates that phosphoric acid (as an acidifier) does have a minor effect as noted but is not harmful to health.

Overall, in moderation intake of Coca-Cola(R) is OK (and maybe for some a pleasurable experience)  but as with everything else if taken to extremes (I once drank 17 cups of coffee in one sitting) then extreme effects are seen.

Hope this helps!

Best wishes,

Paul