MISINFORMATION AND HYSTERIA IN THE NAME OF ACTIVISM

This article is by no means a defense of cola drinks. Over-indulgence on a daily basis of any high calorie foods whether Indigenous or foriegn is bad for our health. Many Indians including those who live hand to mouth survive by eating Indian fast foods such as Vada-pav, pakodas, dosas from small-time eateries and street food vendors. Does anyone from the health department ever think about the quality of frying oils that are used in the preparation of such foods? Are we bothered about the agrochemical residues which we consume when we drink our most favourite beverage ‘a glass of water’ from the tap? Are these problems miniscule and deemed ignorable because no one wants to rock the boat? Excessive cola consumption is still not a problem even in urban India and in talking whether justifiably or otherwise about the ill-effects of colas are we missing the woods for the trees?

In an age of readily accessible information courtesy the internet everyone has taken upon themselves the task to educate people in matters ranging from the mundane to the very specialized. Nutrition at best of times can be a bewilderingly grey area and in this grayness there exists ample scope for all and sundry to participate in the exercise of misinforming.

From Vitamins to grapefruit juice, from sugar to coffee to tea to cocoa, from hard liquor to wines red and white, from cheese to spices …from natural to nature-like; if you care to take a look at the news items and even papers in peer-reviewed journals on any of these topics over the last decade and more you will get information trends that are often divergent to the extent of 180o from each other. For example, the author in his review on Vitamin E, compiled in 1993 found several research papers which talked about the ‘pro-oxidant’ behaviour of the vitamin in stark contrast to its antioxidant nature! Herein lies the real danger; just like any other sub-disciplines in life sciences, nutrition is a dynamic area of ongoing research and choosing facts mistakenly in the belief that you have separated the grain from the chaff can be a dangerous exercise.

Certain things are well established and these are milestones in basic nutrition research, for instance we know for certain that vitamin deficiencies cause characteristic health problems that can be ridden off by vitamin supplementation. The vitamin market in Britain is worth an estimated £362 million a year. Conservatively speaking, globally, the vitamins and supplements market is estimated to be much in excess of £77000000; it is driven by pregnant mothers, convalescing patients, hypochondriacs and the like. Vitamin supplementation even though often necessary for chronic conditions has also become a fad of our times. Surprisingly, even established scientists have acted in a lay manner in encouraging over-supplementation of Vitamins. The Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling was a strong advocate of Vitamin C supplementation to the extent that people influenced by his opinions on the same began believing in it as some sort of an elixir for super health. Indulging in Vitamin C over-supplementation for reasons ranging from common cold to general weakness to even sleeplessness became the health trend in the USA and the West. This trend has thankfully, significantly weakened now in the absence of endorsers of the fame of Dr. Pauling. We know for sure that tobacco is bad and smoking it, even worse! The riveting Hollywood film ‘the insider’ documents in a dramatic fashion the true story of a scientific researcher with a tobacco conglomerate played by Russell Crowe who plays his part at great personal risk in exposing the dangers of smoking tobacco. While the Indian Government’s and more particularly the honourable Health minister’s efforts in ensuring the continuance of the battle against tobacco in general and smoking in particular is laudable, similar zeal in the curbing of smoking beedis is missing! Is this because the beedi is more traditional, pro-poor due to the livelihood of so many rural families depending upon rolling them? Is the cottage industrial nature of this activity an excuse to conveniently ignore its deleterious effects? A vast majority of the beedi smokers are labourers, artisans and poor people. Does the Government think that their health is of no consequence or better still that beedis are non-carcinogenic? The Government’s attitude in promoting a beedi-cigarette divide is truly baffling to say the least!

A lot has been written and talked about junk food. Merriam-Webster’s 11th collegiate dictionary has this to say about junk food: - “food that is high in calories but low in nutritional content”. Organoleptically speaking such food is high on appeal. The greatest drawback of such foods is the use of hydrogenated fats in their preparation which can pose a significant cardiovascular/atherosclerotic risk to those who survive on junk food. Junk food in the Indian context is not at all about McDonalds and Dominos; it is largely about street food-vending involving food items like vada-pav, dosas, misal-pav, Gulab-jamun, jalebis, omlette-pav, samosas, toasted sandwiches and a whole range of other ethnic eatables. The big matter of concern here is the quality of frying oils. Frying oils used more than twice, in fact as many as possible amount of times till they can’t be used any further can be a big cause for concern for the consumer’s health due to the development of carcinogens in such oils. Honestly speaking, ‘Junk’ is a state of mind and any food whether fried, baked, grilled or cooked (except undressed and unseasoned salads) when eaten in excess each day, every day leads to a build up of calories and adiposity unless you are gifted with an exceptionally good metabolic rate that helps you burn calories without much effort efficiently!

It is a good thing to promote the importance of a balanced diet, to drive home the significance of food fibre; but the issues that have been raised in recent times over junk food clearly amount to nutritional vigilantism. From caffeine levels in colas to sugar levels and agrochemical residues in soft drinks, the reaction has been one of logically flawed arguments that serve to act as a smokescreen for diverting attention away from the real issues at hand. The problem of agrochemical residues in colas and soft drinks is quite clearly the problem of these residues in potable water and a consequence of modern agriculture which cannot be easily escaped! Agrochemical residues will be there in moderate to alarming levels in everything we consume from milk to sugar, from wheat flour to tea and coffee, vegetables and fruits; simply, because no one has publicised the extent of these residues in our daily foods does not mean that they are safe! By the way since when have we as a nation become habitual soft drink consumers, but we do consume potable water from our household taps daily. Is any Government really in a position to tackle this issue, if so the costs both fiscal as well as the one to the food security of our nation will be enormous; it is clearly a catch-22 situation.

In the Mumbai Mirror of 12th June 2006, an article on banning of colas mentioned the views of a certain nutritionist equating their consumption with smoking of cigarettes! Here is what was said (in bold):-

• Colas increase water retention in the body making a person feel bloated and puffy. For those suffering from kidney trouble and high blood pressure, water retention could be fatal.
A healthy human body has the ability to balance the water levels in the body depending upon the food that is eaten or drink that is consumed. Even sedentary jobs, long bouts of inactivity can be a contributory factor to water retention; if colas increase water retention in the body then so does tea, coffee and fruit juices and for those chronically ill from kidney trouble even their fluid/water intake needs to be monitored! By the way, in the Indian context, both tea as well as coffee is consumed in greater amounts than colas!

• Studies show that excessive intake of colas can cause memory loss.” Excess levels of sugar in colas play the same role as caffeine does with energy levels swinging between high and low. It also clogs arteries, causes diabetes and weight gain among consumers. Diabetes can also be the cause of a silent heart attack.
The issue of memory loss due to cola drink consumption has arisen inconclusively with respect to a sweetener aspartame which is used in diet colas and not in the regular cola beverages. Aspartame has never been conclusively linked anytime to memory loss. Phenylketonurics (phenylketonuria is a rare genetic disorder) who cannot metabolize phenylalanine cannot tolerate aspartame and manufacturers of products containing this sweetener are obliged to and always display a warning label in this connection on the concerned product. As a sweetener, Aspartame is perhaps the most rigorously tested food additive in history. It has a record of over 25 years in the market place and with an estimated 250 million consumers worldwide. Aspartame is made from two amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. Thus, aspartame’s components are digested, absorbed and metabolised as if they were derived from everyday foods. These components can also be found in vegetables, meat, dairy products and grains and therefore aspartame brings nothing new to our diet. The following is mentioned in the US Government’s Code of Federal Regulations 21CFR172.804 about Aspartame:

“PART 172 -- FOOD ADDITIVES PERMITTED FOR DIRECT ADDITION TO FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION
Subpart I -- Multipurpose Additives
Sec. 172.804 Aspartame.
The food additive aspartame may be safely used in food in accordance with good manufacturing practice as a sweetening agent and a flavor enhancer in foods for which standards of identity established under section 401 of the act do not preclude such use under the following conditions:

(a) Aspartame is the chemical 1-methyl N-l-α-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine (C14H18N2O5).

(b) The additive meets the specifications of the “Food Chemicals Codex,” 3d Ed. (1981) pp. 28-29 and First Supplement p. 5, which is incorporated by reference in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a).

(c)(1) When aspartame is used as a sugar substitute tablet for sweetening hot beverages, including coffee and tea, L-leucine may be used as a lubricant in the manufacture of such tablets at a level not to exceed 3.5 percent of the weight of the tablet.

(2) When aspartame is used in baked goods and baking mixes, the amount of the additive is not to exceed 0.5 percent by weight of ready-to-bake products or of finished formulations prior to baking. Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients or food additives approved for use in baked goods shall be used in combination with aspartame to ensure its functionality as a sweetener in the final baked product. The level of aspartame used in these products is determined by an analytical method entitled “Analytical Method for the Determination of Aspartame and Diketopiperazine in Baked Goods and Baking Mixes,” October 8, 1992, which was developed by the Nutrasweet Co.

(d) To assure safe use of the additive, in addition to the other information required by the Act:
(1) The principal display panel of any intermediate mix of the additive for manufacturing purposes shall bear a statement of the concentration of the additive contained therein;
(2) The label of any food containing the additive shall bear, either on the principal display panel or on the information panel, the following statement:

PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE

The statement shall appear in the labeling prominently and conspicuously as compared to other words, statements, designs or devices and in bold type and on clear contrasting background in order to render it likely to be read and understood by the ordinary individual under customary conditions of purchase and use.
(3) When the additive is used in a sugar substitute for table use, its label shall bear instructions not to use in cooking or baking.
(4) Packages of the dry, free-flowing additive shall prominently display the sweetening equivalence in teaspoons of sugar.

(e) If the food containing the additive purports to be or is represented for special dietary uses, it shall be labeled in compliance with part 105 of this chapter.
[39 FR 27319, July 26, 1974]”As regards colas causing diabetes, clogging our arteries, the nutritionist has clearly gone overboard with her facts. If what she says is true then all Indian traditional sweets and snacks which are no less addictive are bad. As far as the caffeine level problems go tea and coffee which are drunk all over the nation by poor and rich alike several times a day contribute more caffeine to the diet than does the occasionally consumed cola beverages.

• Colas are made up of an assortment of chemicals that the body doesn’t need. They are toxins. It affects the metabolism of the body and is addictive as well. The root cause of every disease is chemicals as they form free radicals in the body. Many of these chemicals are found in colas. The chemicals can cause cancer and also trigger migraines and headaches.
What does the body need or what it does not need is a cultural and social question. An over-indulgence of food, even staple can give you digestive problems. Free radical formation is as much a natural process as is antioxidant action. Leaving healthily is the key to good health. The ingredients used in colas are all USFDA compliant. As for triggering migraines, headaches and food allergies go one man’s food is another man’s poison; the list of foods which can fall in such categories is pretty long and can include sea food, dairy products, peanuts, aubergines, eggs, mushrooms…, and if any one feels that he/she is allergic to colas the concerned person should better avoid them.

• Colas contain high amounts of soda which make bones brittle. It also causes tooth decay among children and joint pains due to reduction of calcium in the body. Arthritis is a real danger for those who are regular consumers of cola.
There is no authoritative nutritional study so far that links soda consumption to brittle bones, joint pains and arthritis. For tooth decay and enamel damage to occur either sugar or acid should be in contact with the teeth for significantly long periods of time. This does not happen when we consume beverages. It must be noted that susceptibility to dental caries varies from individual to individual irrespective of the fact whether they consume colas or not. The genetic basis in periodontal diseases is fairly well established (J Dent Educ. 68(8): 819-822 2004).

Getting addicted to any food especially one which is high in calories is bad and colas, just as many other foods western as well as ethnic, fried, baked or cooked are no exception in this respect. The key to good health is to understand ‘how much you should have’.


You are the sole judge of your calorific equation. If you know how to balance your calorific intake with your calorific output, you will never grow obese. But with colas, tea, coffee, milk, mithais, samosas, vada-pavs, dosas etc or without them, most of us unfortunately never seem to get our calorific balance right and hence a poor metabolic rate and selective vilification of certain foods.

If as a culinary patriot, the honourable health minister wants to curb cola drinks as they are not indigenously traditional and therefore responsible for unsafe consumption habits among Indians, then that is his logic. But for a nutritionist to make unverified statements and dress them up as facts for public consumption in a daily newspaper is gross and misleading. It is a travesty of consumer education!
-Dr.V.R.Shenoy