Health - Put Down That Soda NOW!

Argh. I am just so sick and tired of the continual din of food and other consumer products contamination/danger scares. Did anyone ever test this shit when they first developed it? Is there more stuff we don't know?

On the plus side, I almost never drink soda. A couple of times a year, I'll have a sip from someone else's. I prefer water, wine, tea, and fruit or vegetable juices. But almost everyone I know and love consumes the stuff, and now I'm worrying about them all.

Here's the latest:

A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces.

Please check everything you buy and plan to consume for evidence of added sodium benzoate - especially if it also contains vitamin C, which combination has been implicated in cancer research as a carcinogen.

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