Cent4dent Blog

Birmingham Post
05-21-09
Experts have issued a warning against drinking large quantities of cola, saying it could lead to muscle problems, an irregular heartbeat and bone weakness.

The number of cola lovers suffering health issues is on the rise, they said, adding there had been a food industry push towards an “increase in portion sizes”.

As well as tooth decay, diabetes and “softening” of the bones, doctors have seen patients suffering from hypokalaemia where potassium levels in the blood drop too low.

This can increase the risk of muscle problems and heart rhythm abnormalities, which could prove fatal in some cases. “We are consuming more soft drinks than ever before and a number of health issues have already been identified including tooth problems, bone demineralisation and the development of metabolic syndrome and diabetes,” said Dr Moses Elisaf, from the University of Ioannina in Greece, who led an academic review of the issue.

“Evidence is increasing to suggest that excessive cola consumption can also lead to hypokalaemia, in which the blood potassium levels fall, causing an adverse effect on vital muscle functions.” His study, published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, detailed cases where patients drank two or more litres of cola a day.

In one case, a 21-year-old pregnant woman was admitted to the hospital suffering tiredness, loss of appetite and repeated vomiting. The patient had consumed more than three litres of cola per day for the previous six years and was found to be suffering from severe hypokalaemia and a heart blockage.
Once she was taken off cola and given potassium replacement substances, she made a full recovery.
Other case studies of people drinking between two and nine litres of cola a day found they suffered muscle problems ranging from “mild weakness to profound paralysis”.

The authors said their findings were relevant because we now live in an era when the food industry sells drinks in large sizes. One theory is that the sugar content of cola could lead the kidneys to excrete too much potassium, while another is that the caffeine content of cola leads to a redistribution of potassium in the body’s cells or increased excretion from the body.
The most common ingredients in cola drinks are glucose, fructose and caffeine, Dr Elisaf said.

“The individual role of each of these ingredients in the pathophysiology of cola-induced hypokalaemia has not been determined and may vary,” he added. “However, in most of the cases we looked at for our review, caffeine intoxication was thought to play the most important role.

“This has been borne out by case studies that focus on other products that contain high levels of caffeine but no glucose or fructose. Despite this, caffeine-free cola products can also cause hypokalaemia because the fructose they contain can cause diarrhoea.”

Dr. Markus comments: What this fails to address is the amount of mercury that a child will be exposed to due to the fact that with rampant decay, and the expense of treating it, parents often opt for the least costly material, dental mercury amalgam fillings. Without informed consent as to the hazzards these fillings can be, dentists worldwide place them in the mouths of unsuspecting children.

For more information visit these pages:

Dr. Markus addresses the ADA about the presence of soda machines in schools >>>

City Council of Philadelphia mandates informed consent >>>>>

Re: AMALGAM BILL IN PHILADELPHIA
Bill No. 040904, The Use of Mercury in Dentistry

This bill is scheduled for a vote by City Council on Thursday, November 15, sometime between 9 a.m. and noon.

Dear Council:
I understand that there is an email and fax campaign attempting to undermine the hard work that Consumers for Dental Choice has done here in Philadelphia. I encourage you to study the science and not accept the diatribe that the ADA and its lemmings put forward about the fact that the dental fillings which contain 50% mercury (the most toxic, naturally-occurring substance on the planet) is safe for the environment, and becomes inert once placed in the mouth.

If that were true, why would the ADA have been telling dentists for decades to keep unused scraps of filling material in a tightly-closed glass jar, under a high specific gravity fluid, like antifreeze? Why would they be encouraging dentists to install mercury separators on their buildings to remove mercury before it hits the sewage treatment facilities?

I encourage you to visit the mercury links page of my website www.cent4dent.com, to learn why when in September of 2006, the FDA panel convened to determine mercury safety voted 13-7 against the hypothesis that mercury fillings were safe. The chief argument of the pro-mercury side was not safety, but cost.

I questioned the panel as to what they felt the decrease in cost would be on the medical side of the ledger, with all the savings anticipated due to the unnecessary medical treatments that are being rendered to treat patients for symptoms that their physicians have failed to recognize as mercury poisoning.

Stephen J Markus, DMD FACE
http://www.cent4dent.com
http://www.SmileSouthJersey.com
drmarkus@cent4dent.com

From the web, courtesy of The Jackson (miss) Free Press.

Something I’ve been talking about for years (see: Dr. Markus Discusses the Harmful Effects of Soda at http://www.cent4dent.com/html/office_info/media.htm)

Here is the Article
ABC’s 20/20 is showing a special episode tonight at 9 PM CT called “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains” which highlights poverty-stricken children of Appalachia. One of the many issues facing these children is rampant tooth decay and tooth loss. A Kentucky dentist, Dr. Edwin Smith, helps children in his area by offering free dental care in his mobile clinic. Dr. Smith blames a lot of the cavities he sees on excessive Mountain Dew consumption.

Central Appalachia is No. 1 in the nation in toothlessness. According to dentists, one of the main culprits is Mountain Dew soda. With 50 percent more caffeine than Coke or Pepsi, Mountain Dew seems to be used as a kind of anti-depressant for children in the hills.

Kids drink the soda in school, at football games and before going to bed at night. And drinking the sugary soda loaded with caffeine often starts early. Dentists speak about families who put soda in baby bottles.

“Other sodas, too,” said Smith, “but Mountain Dew is unique because it has a lot of sugar and a lot of acid. If you’re taking a drink every 20 minutes, that’s like bathing the teeth in it all day.”

“It’s just rampant decay,” adds Dr. Stacie Moore-Martin of the Mud Creek Clinic in Grethel, Ky. “People are addicted to Mountain Dew. It’s terrible.”

Pepsi, the makers of Mountain Dew, told ABC News in an initial statement that it’s preposterous to blame soft drinks for dental decay, saying that raisins and cookies stay in the mouth longer. They added that a balanced diet and proper dental hygiene like flossing and brushing teeth after meals and snacks should prevent decay.

After a report on the topic aired on “Good Morning America” Thursday, Pepsi sent an additional statement saying that their products “consumed in moderation, can be part of a healthy, balanced diet.”

They said the company is “continually expanding our offerings of healthier, more nutritious products” and that they “offer a wide range of sugar-free and caffeine-free products.” They also said they are working with schools, non-profits and the government to educate people about healthier lifestyles. CLICK HERE for the full statement.

The dental dilemma in Kentucky is that nearly one out of every two of the state’s children are enrolled in Medicaid, but barely a quarter of dentists accept the insurance. So for the Appalachian families on Medicaid, they often have few options when or if they want to see a dentist.

So, who’s really to blame for “Mountain Dew Mouth”? Pepsi? The children who drink it? The parents? The dentists who don’t accept Medicaid? Our health care system?

What do you think? My Reply The children and the parents need to be better educated, especially if they don’t have dental insurance (and Medicaid isn’t dental insurance). This is condition which, if the parents knew the devastation it caused would have to be paid for by them, or they would watch the consequences of their inaction. It certainly would not be the dentists who don’t accept Medicaid. This would be akin to asking someone who already gave a considerable donation to an organization to match it 10x over. Blame it on the health care system? Possibly there’s been a breakdown in the amount of information that has been conveyed to parents. But ultimately the blame lies with the government not being able to curb the use of this health killer, and get the dramatic photos of cases caused by sipping the Dew into the public’s hands.

All parents should be required to watch this video: http://i.abcnews.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6870419