Modern and ancient sciences turn against cola drinks

October 17th, 2006

The war against carbonated beverages in general and colas in particular seems to gather momentum both in the East and the West. There have been reports from the US, UK and India where some schools and universities have banned the sale of the fizzy drink on their campuses.

Patanajali Yog Peeth (PYP), the yoga and health crusader institution in India has virtually launched a countrywide diatribe against coke in particular and carbonated drinks in general.

The torchbearer of the yoga movement in India and the chief functionary of PYP, Swami Ramdev, quotes the institution’s findings that carbonated beverages cause a number of health disorders including arthritis, digestive and respiratory disorders and even serious pregnancy related conditions.

PYP and Swami Ramdev have often been accused of lashing unsubstantiated criticism against the soft drinks multinationals.

Almost no yoga camp organized by PYP and addressed by Swami Ramdev concludes without critical mention of the effects of carbonated beverages. Swami particularly discourages the children and asks them to resolve against the intake of cola drinks. He calls the drink ‘toilet cleaner’ for it has been found to be quite effective at it. Hence his slogan for the children and all – “the right place for your cola is not your refrigerator, it is your toilet.”

In this backdrop a recent US research report on the effect of carbonated drinks is opportune. Accordingly, the fizzy drink makes bones brittle in case of women. The brittle bone disease, called osteoporosis, in the case of women has been linked by the study to phosphoric acid found in cola drinks.

Three million Britons suffer from osteoporosis in which bones lose their density. An early menopause, lack of dietary calcium and low levels of physical exercise are among several factors which may lead to the condition.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study had 2500 men and women in the age group of 60 as volunteers. While each woman was drinking a minimum of four cola drinks in a week, men were consuming five. No real effect was observed in case of men when the volunteers were examined for their bone densities in the hip and spine region.

Well, that should not give carte blanche to men. For, a higher level of physical activity, which is men probably do, could well be the reason for their being not found affected by cola drinks.

PYP and Swami Ramdev have yet more evidence coming from the western world to support trheir stance against these drinks.

Entry Filed under: Yoga, Health Issues