It has been argued that cola raises blood sugar levels and so decrease your appetite for more nutritious foods. What s more sweeteners may impair the body s appetite control mechanism and encourage noshing. Sugar is also the great teeth rotter. Don t drink cola frequently between meals, says Winkler, Your saliva doesn t get a chance to fight back to protect your teeth. In the USA, sugar packet with Nutrasweet contain warnings that it may be carcinogenic.
Phosphoric acid balances the cola s sweetness to provide the characteristic tart taste.
This acid is so strong you can clean a toilet with it or dissolve a tooth in 48 hours. Says Janet Thorn, senior lecturer in nutrition at Oxford Brookes University. I think the presence of caffeine is slightly sinister because it s added as a stimulant, says Ian Shaw, Professor of Toxicology at Central Lancashire University. Caramel is widely used in soft and alcoholic drinks, sauces and canned meats. There have been suggestions that it is carcinogenic and causes white blood cell problems in animal tests.