Health hazards of too much soda Americans guzzle soft drinks at an alarming rate. No one seems to care that the only thing these overpriced sugar concoctions do is make you fat, diabetic, and toothless. But now a new study says that these downsides could be the least of your problems. According to research done by Dr. Moses Elisaf of the University of Ioannina in Greece, drinking too much soda can lead to weakness, muscle paralysis, and even a drop in your levels of blood potassium. For most people, the only pain or discomfort caused by cola drinking is the tightness around the waist as their expanding tummies strain against their pants. But this research indicates that there's plenty more going on behind the scenes that could take years before it finally rears its head. Elisaf's researchers concentrated on patients who consumed between two and nine liters of cola EVERY DAY. That might seem like more than any normal person would ever drink, but trust me… it adds up quicker than you might think. "We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before and a number of health issues have already been identified," Elisaf said. "Including tooth problems, bone demineralisation and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes." As you might expect, when the people cut back on their cola consumption, the symptoms of muscle weakness, fatigue, and even derailed potassium levels returned to normal. The ingredients in cola that can lead to all of these maladies are glucose, fructose, and caffeine. As you know, I've been an outspoken defender of caffeine for years. But when there are such high quantities of all of these items in just one serving of cola, you realize that the gluttonous intake of nearly ANYTHING just can't be good for you. In his commentary on Elisaf's study, Dr. Clifford Packer of the Louis Stokes Cleveland Medical Center said that "the soft drink industry needs to promote safe and moderate use of its products for all age groups," even suggesting that the companies reduce the recommended serving size. Oh, please. As always, the companies are blamed before the lunatics who are drinking two gallons of soda every day. Clearly, the people at risk from the symptoms that Elisaf covers in his study are beyond the reach of mere serving size recommendations. As I said before, I'm not a fan of soda, but I am a fan of common sense. And it's clear that the people who were the subjects of Elisaf's study don't have any. If you thought it was impossible for people to drink as much as two gallons of soda every day, this next piece will really throw you: there's a new study that claims that people who are obese actually fare better with the worst effects of heart disease. No, that's not a misprint. According to the so-called "obesity paradox," the additional fat on the obese can be a boon in battling heart disease. The author of this poke in the eye of conventional medical wisdom is Dr. Carl J. Lavie of the New Orleans' Ochsner Medical Center, who says that "once you get high blood pressure, blocked heart arteries and periperal arterial disease, the obese patients do better than the lean patients." It's thought that though obesity can be the cause of various diseases, the "metabolic reserve" in an obese person gives them more energy with which to fight disease. But before you reach for that slice of cheesecake, you should know that this study doesn't exactly give you carte blanche in the diet department. Lavie still advises his obese patients to try and lose weight. Because, Lavie says, trimming down is still the best way to avoid getting sick in the first place. And that's one big, fat catch-22. | 
